Inklingo

dices

DEE-ses/ˈdi.ses/

dices means you say in Spanish (general communication).

you say

Also: you tell
VerbA1irregular ir
Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Central America
A child speaking clearly to an adult who is leaning in to listen intently, illustrating the action of 'you say' or 'you tell'.
infinitivedecir
gerunddiciendo
past Participledicho

📝 In Action

¿Qué dices?

A1

What are you saying?

Siempre dices la verdad.

A2

You always tell the truth.

Si me dices que sí, me quedo.

B1

If you tell me yes, I'll stay.

Dices que no tienes tiempo, pero siempre estás en línea.

B1

You say you don't have time, but you're always online.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • callas (you keep quiet)
  • silencias (you silence)

Common Collocations

  • decir la verdadto tell the truth
  • decir mentirasto tell lies
  • querer decirto mean
  • decir tonteríasto talk nonsense

Idioms & Expressions

  • como quien no quiere la cosato do something casually or as if it's not important

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/usteddice
yodigo
dices
ellos/ellas/ustedesdicen
nosotrosdecimos
vosotrosdecís

imperfect

él/ella/usteddecía
yodecía
decías
ellos/ellas/ustedesdecían
nosotrosdecíamos
vosotrosdecíais

preterite

él/ella/usteddijo
yodije
dijiste
ellos/ellas/ustedesdijeron
nosotrosdijimos
vosotrosdijisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/usteddiga
yodiga
digas
ellos/ellas/ustedesdigan
nosotrosdigamos
vosotrosdigáis

imperfect

él/ella/usteddijera o dijese
yodijera o dijese
dijeras o dijeses
ellos/ellas/ustedesdijeran o dijesen
nosotrosdijéramos o dijésemos
vosotrosdijerais o dijeseis

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "dices" in Spanish:

you sayyou tell

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: dices

Question 1 of 1

Your friend is talking nonsense. How would you ask 'What are you saying?'

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
decir(to say, to tell)Verb
dicho(saying, proverb)Noun
contradecir(to contradict)Verb
predicción(prediction)Noun
bendecir(to bless)Verb
🎵 Rhymes
bendicesmaldicespredices
📚 Etymology

Comes directly from the Latin verb 'dīcere', which meant 'to say' or 'to speak'. It's a very old and fundamental word that has been part of Spanish since its beginning.

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: diciFrench: disPortuguese: dizes

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between `dices` and `dice`?

`Dices` is used when you're talking *to* one person you know well (tú). `Dice` is used when you're talking *about* someone else (él/ella - he/she) or talking *to* someone formally (usted).

Why isn't it 'decis' instead of 'dices'?

Great question! It's because 'decir' is an irregular verb. The 'e' in its main part changes to an 'i' for most present tense forms (yo digo, tú dices, él dice...). You just have to memorize this special pattern.