A colorful storybook illustration showing a child speaking directly to a listening adult. Small, abstract blue lines visually represent the sound or speech flowing from the child to the adult.

diciendo

/dee-syen-doh/

Verb (Gerund)A2

saying?general use,telling?when providing information to someone

Quick Reference

infinitivedecir

gerunddiciendo

past Participledicho

📝 In Action

Estoy diciendo la verdad.

I am telling the truth.

¿Qué estás diciendo? No te entiendo.

What are you saying? I don't understand you.

Siguió hablando, diciendo que todo estaría bien.

He kept talking, saying that everything would be okay.

Diciendo eso, se fue de la habitación.

Saying that, he left the room.

Word Connections

Synonyms

contando (telling (a story))
expresando (expressing)
comunicando (communicating)

Antonyms

callando (being quiet)
ocultando (hiding/concealing)

Common Collocations

estar diciendo – to be saying
seguir diciendo – to keep saying
ir diciendo – to go around saying

Idioms & Expressions

diciendo y haciendo – No sooner said than done.

💡 Grammar Points

The Spanish '-ing' Form (Gerundio)

diciendo is the '-ing' form of the verb decir (to say/tell). You use it with a helper verb like estar to talk about an action that is happening right now, just like in English. For example, Estoy diciendo means 'I am saying'.

An Irregular Form

diciendo is irregular. Normally, verbs ending in -ir change to -iendo. But for decir, the 'e' in the stem also changes to an 'i' (dic-iendo) to make it sound right.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using it for Future Plans

Mistake: "Estoy diciendo a mi jefe mañana. (I am telling my boss tomorrow.)"

Correction: Voy a decirle a mi jefe mañana. (I am going to tell my boss tomorrow.) In Spanish, the '-ing' form is almost always for actions happening *right now*, not for future plans like in English.

⭐ Usage Tips

More than just 'estar'

While estar diciendo is very common, you can also use diciendo with other verbs to add more meaning. Seguir diciendo means 'to keep saying,' and ir diciendo means 'to go around saying.'

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: diciendo

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'diciendo' to describe an action happening right now?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

decir(to say, to tell) - verb

dicho(saying, proverb) - noun

dicho(said, told) - past participle

contradecir(to contradict) - verb

predecir(to predict) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'diciendo' and 'hablando'?

Think of it like 'saying/telling' vs. 'speaking/talking'. 'Diciendo' is used when you are communicating specific information or words ('I am telling a secret'). 'Hablando' is for the general act of talking ('We are talking on the phone').

Why does 'decir' change to 'diciendo' and not 'deciendo'?

It's an irregular verb! The 'e' in the stem of 'decir' changes to an 'i' in several forms, including this one. It's a pattern you'll also see in verbs like 'pedir' (pidiendo) and 'servir' (sirviendo). You just have to memorize these common irregular ones.