Inklingo

How to Say "word is" in Spanish

The Spanish word forword isis dicenA2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA2
VerbA2
Informal, like sharing a rumor
A large, diverse crowd of people clustered together, with abstract, colorful sound waves spreading quickly among them, symbolizing a widespread rumor or general information.

Examples

Dicen que va a llover mañana.

They say it's going to rain tomorrow.

En Italia, dicen que no se debe beber capuchino después del mediodía.

In Italy, they say you shouldn't drink cappuccino after noon.

Dicen que la risa es la mejor medicina.

They say that laughter is the best medicine.

The Impersonal 'They'

Just like in English, Spanish uses 'dicen' to talk about general knowledge, rumors, or what 'people' say without naming anyone specific. The 'they' isn't a real group of people.

Asking 'Who?'

Mistake:When hearing 'Dicen que va a llover,' a learner might ask '¿Quiénes lo dicen?' (Who says so?).

Correction: While you can ask this, usually the point of using 'dicen' this way is that the source is unknown or unimportant. It just means 'this is a common belief'.

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.