Regular verbs which end in -ar, -er, and -ir, are conjugated according to a set of rules, which makes learning the verbs in this category easier. Irregular verbs, on the other hand, can keep you on your toes, because these kinds of verbs don’t follow a set conjugation pattern.

Irregular verbs can also be stem-changing (the root changes depending on how it is used in a sentence), or spelling-changing (certain consonants change to help with pronunciation). Another verb category to be aware of is reflexive verbs (which “reflect” the action back on the subject of the verb). These can be both regular and irregular.

In this article, we’re focusing on the conjugation of the verb “decir”, which means “to say/tell”. As with many other irregular verbs, “decir” is irregular in most forms of the present tense except for the nosotros and vosotros conjugation (note the accent mark).

The Present Tense of Decir

ConjugationTranslationyo digoI say/telltú dicesYou (informal) say//tellél/ella/ello/uno diceHe/she/one says//tellsusted diceYou (formal) say/tellnosotros decimosWe say/tellvosotros decísYou all (informal) say/tellellos/ellas dicenThey say/tellustedes dicenYou all (formal) say/tell

To put this into practice, here are some examples of how “decir” is conjugated in the present tense:

• ¿Por qué dices eso? (Why do you say that?)
• Le digo que haga su trabajo mejor cada día (I tell him to do his work better every day)

After covering the present tense, we’ll now move onto the preterit (past) tense. Note the irregular root dij-:

The Preterit Tense of Decir

ConjugationTranslationyo dijeI said/toldtú dijisteYou (informal) said/toldél/ella/ello/uno dijoHe/she/one said/toldusted dijoYou (formal) said/toldnosotros dijimosWe said/toldvosotros dijisteisYou all (informal) said/toldellos/ellas dijeronThey said/toldustedes dijeronYou all (formal) said/told

As with the preterit tense conjugation for any other verb, this refers to an action completed in the past. Here is how it’s done with “decir”:

• ¡Le dije que no lo hiciera! (I told him not to do it!)
• (Ellas) dijeron que era una fiesta muy buena (They said it was a very good party)

In the imperfect tense, “decir” is conjugated according to the regular -ir verb conjugation pattern, and refers to actions in the past that have not been completed (note the accent marks).

The Imperfect Tense of Decir

ConjugationTranslationyo decíaI used to say/telltú decíasYou (informal) used to say/tellél/ella/ello/uno decíaHe/she/one used to say/tellusted decíaYou (formal) used to say/tellnosotros decíamosWe used to say/tellvosotros decíaisYou all (informal) used to say/tellellos/ellas decíanThey used to say/tellustedes decíanYou all (formal) used to say/tell

Here are some ways to use “decir” in the imperfect tense:

• Cuando era niña, mi abuela siempre nos decía que le agradeciéramos (When I was a child, my grandmother was always telling us to say thank you)
• Se decían muchas cosas en la mesa (They were saying a lot of things to each other at the table)

In the future tense conjugation of “decir”, the verb is conjugated according to the regular -ir endings, but with an irregular root: dir- (note the accent marks)

The Future Tense of Decir

ConjugationTranslationyo diréI will say/telltú dirásYou (informal) will say/tellél/ella/ello/uno diráHe/she/one will say/tellusted diráYou (formal) will say/tellnosotros diremosWe will say/tellvosotros diréisYou all (informal) will say/tellellos/ellas diránThey will say/tellustedes diránYou all (formal) will say/tell

To understand this in practice, here are some examples of “decir” being used in the future tense:

• Ella le dirá cuando lo vea (She will tell him when she sees him)
• ¿Le dirán que se una a nosotros? (Will they tell her to join us?)

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