decirle
“decirle” means “to tell him/her/you” in Spanish (Directing information to a single person (he, she, or you formal)).
to tell him/her/you
Also: to say to him/her/you
📝 In Action
Voy a decirle la verdad.
A1I'm going to tell him/her the truth.
¿Puedes decirle que venga, por favor?
A2Can you tell him/her to come, please?
No olvides decirle a tu mamá que la quieres.
A2Don't forget to tell your mom that you love her.
Sería mejor decirle todo mañana.
B1It would be better to tell him/her everything tomorrow.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: decirle
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly means 'I need to tell her the secret'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
This word is a combination. It comes from the Latin verb 'dīcere', meaning 'to say' or 'to speak', plus the Latin pronoun 'illī', which meant 'to that one'. Over time, they smooshed together in Spanish to make things flow more easily.
First recorded: The root verb 'decir' has been around since the earliest forms of Spanish in the 10th century. Combining it with pronouns like 'le' is a feature that developed as the language grew.
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'decirle' and 'decirlo'?
Great question! 'Decirle' means 'to tell *someone*' (him, her, you). The '-le' part is about *who* receives the message. 'Decirlo' means 'to say *it*'. The '-lo' part refers to *what* is being said. Example: 'Voy a decirle (a Juan) el secreto.' (I'm going to tell him the secret) vs 'El secreto es importante; voy a decirlo.' (The secret is important; I'm going to say it).
Why are the conjugations for 'decir' shown here? Does 'decirle' conjugate?
'Decirle' itself doesn't change because it's the original verb form (infinitive) with 'le' attached. To use it in a sentence, you change the 'decir' part and the 'le' comes along for the ride, usually moving before the verb. For example, 'decirle' becomes 'le digo' (I tell him/her), 'le dijiste' (you told him/her), etc. We show the conjugations for 'decir' so you know how to build these sentences.