The main translation of say in Spanish is decir. It can mean “to say” or “to tell,” depending on the sentence. Digo la verdad means “I tell the truth,” and Ella dice que está cansada means “She says that she is tired.” To ask for a translation, use ¿Cómo se dice…?, “How do you say…?”
Decir = “to say / to tell.” Its present forms include digo, “I say,” dices, “you say,” and dice, “he/she says.” Ask ¿Cómo se dice “hello” en español? for “How do you say ‘hello’ in Spanish?”
- How Do You Say Say in Spanish?
- Useful Forms of Decir
- Decir: Present-Tense Quick Comparison
- How to Pronounce Decir
- How Do You Say…? in Spanish
- Saying Something to Someone
- Decir Versus Hablar and Contar
- Example Sentences Using Say in Spanish
- Frequently Asked Questions About Say in Spanish
- Summary: How to Say Say in Spanish
How Do You Say Say in Spanish?
Decir is the dictionary form. It is not usually the form you place directly after a subject to make a present-tense statement. For “I say,” use digo; for informal singular “you say,” use dices.
Spanish does not divide the meanings of “say” and “tell” in exactly the same way as English. Decir can describe the words someone speaks or something they tell a listener. The structure of the complete sentence determines the natural English translation.
Useful question: ¿Cómo se dice…? — How do you say…?
Useful Forms of Decir
Decir is irregular, so do not apply the regular -ir pattern blindly. Learn the common forms with short examples, then expand to the tense or type of request you need.
1. Decir — To Say
The infinitive is used after verbs or constructions that require it. Quiero decir algo means “I want to say something.” Puedes decirlo otra vez means “You can say it again.”
In decirlo, the pronoun lo is attached to the infinitive and represents “it” in the appropriate context. This is one reason a dictionary word may appear with extra letters at the end in a real sentence.
2. Digo, Dices, Dice — Present Forms
Digo is the yo form: Digo la verdad, “I tell the truth.” Dices is used with tú, and dice with él, ella, or formal singular usted.
Decimos means “we say,” and dicen means “they say” or plural “you say.” Notice the e-to-i change in several forms, but not in decimos. The yo form digo has its own irregular shape.
3. Dime / Dígame — Tell Me
Dime is an informal singular instruction meaning “Tell me.” Dígame is the formal singular equivalent. The pronoun me is attached to the command form.
For a polite full question, ¿Me puedes decir tu nombre? means “Can you tell me your name?” informally. A formal version is ¿Me puede decir su nombre?. A complete question may be more suitable than a bare command when you are speaking to a stranger.
4. Dije / Dijiste — Said
For a completed past statement, dije means “I said,” and dijiste means “you said” informally. ¿Qué dijiste? means “What did you say?”
The third-person or formal singular form is dijo. ¿Qué dijo? can mean “What did he/she say?” or formal “What did you say?” The subject is often understood from the conversation.
Decir: Present-Tense Quick Comparison
← Swipe horizontally to see the full table →
| Subject | Decir | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | digo | I say / tell |
| tú | dices | you say / tell, informal singular |
| él / ella / usted | dice | he / she says; formal you say |
| nosotros / nosotras | decimos | we say / tell |
| vosotros / vosotras | decís | you say / tell, informal plural |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | dicen | they / you say / tell |
Vosotros is common informal plural address in much of Spain. Ustedes is the ordinary plural you across Latin America and uses dicen. Other regional pronoun systems exist, so match the variety you are learning rather than assuming one table covers every form of address.
How to Pronounce Decir
Decir has its stress on the final syllable. In most Latin American pronunciation, the c before i has an s sound, giving a rough guide like “deh-SEER.” In much of Spain, that c has the sound heard at the beginning of English “think,” approximately “deh-THEER.”
Both patterns are normal regional pronunciations. They do not change the spelling or the meaning of decir. The Spanish r is also different from a usual English r, so listen to the complete word rather than relying only on the approximation.
Digo has stress on the first syllable. Dígame also keeps stress at the beginning, which is marked with a written accent. Dime does not need an accent mark under the ordinary spelling rules.
How Do You Say…? in Spanish
The useful question is ¿Cómo se dice… en español? For example, ¿Cómo se dice “apple” en español? means “How do you say ‘apple’ in Spanish?” The answer is manzana.
Keep the accent on cómo when it introduces the question “how.” The word se is part of the construction; do not remove it just because English expresses the same question with “you.” This is a general question about how something is said.
A useful follow-up is ¿Cómo se pronuncia?, “How is it pronounced?” To ask for repetition, say ¿Puedes repetirlo? informally, or ¿Puede repetirlo? formally. These questions often solve a conversational problem more directly than repeating “What?” alone.
Saying Something to Someone
A common pattern is decir algo a alguien, “to say something to someone” or “to tell someone something.” Le digo la verdad means “I tell him/her the truth,” or formal “I tell you the truth,” depending on the listener and context.
To report a statement with a clause, use decir que: Ella dice que está cansada, “She says that she is tired.” The que connects the reported content to the verb dice.
- decir algo — to say something
- decir la verdad — to tell the truth
- decir que sí — to say yes
- decir que no — to say no
- ¿Qué quieres decir? — What do you mean?
Quiero decir can mean “I mean” when you clarify your wording. The phrase is learned as a useful expression; it is not necessary to translate each English use of “mean” with decir.
Decir Versus Hablar and Contar
Hablar means “to speak” or “to talk.” Hablo español means “I speak Spanish.” It describes speaking a language, not a particular sentence you say. Do not replace it with digo when you mean language ability or habitual language use.
Contar means “to tell” in expressions such as contar una historia, “to tell a story.” Decir and contar can both correspond to English “tell,” but they focus on different kinds of content and have different common combinations.
For asking a question, use preguntar in an appropriate sentence: Quiero preguntar algo, “I want to ask something.” The English verbs say, speak, tell, and ask do not line up with a single Spanish verb. Unlike irregular decir, hablar and preguntar follow the regular Spanish -ar verb pattern.
Example Sentences Using Say in Spanish
Use: Asking for a translation with the standard se dice pattern.
Use: Reporting the content of somebody’s statement.
Use: Making a polite formal request for information.
Frequently Asked Questions About Say in Spanish
Tap a question below to see the answer.
What is say in Spanish?
The main infinitive is decir, which can mean “to say” or “to tell.” The correct form depends on the subject and tense.
How do you say I say?
Say digo. For example, Digo la verdad means “I tell the truth.”
How do you ask how do you say in Spanish?
Use ¿Cómo se dice… en español? and put the word or phrase you want to translate in the blank.
What is the difference between dime and dígame?
Both mean “Tell me.” Dime is informal singular, while dígame is formal singular.
How do you say what did you say?
Informally, say ¿Qué dijiste? A formal singular version is ¿Qué dijo?, with the context identifying the addressee.
Is decir the same as hablar?
No. Decir concerns saying or telling particular content. Hablar means speaking or talking, as in Hablo español.
Summary: How to Say Say in Spanish
Say in Spanish is usually decir. Learn common forms such as digo, dices, and dice, plus the useful request forms dime and dígame.
For a translation question, use ¿Cómo se dice… en español?. Distinguish decir from hablar, “to speak,” and contar, “to tell a story,” so the whole sentence expresses the idea you intend.
