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French · Verb · #4 most common

dire

to say
to tell

Irregular3rd ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Présent

Current actions, habits, and general truths.

jedis
tudis
il/elledit
nousdisons
vousdites
ils/ellesdisent

Je dis toujours la vérité.

I always tell the truth.

Elle dit qu'elle viendra demain.

She says that she will come tomorrow.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

jeai dit
tuas dit
il/ellea dit
nousavons dit
vousavez dit
ils/ellesont dit

Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.

He said that he was tired.

Nous avons dit bonjour à nos voisins.

We said hello to our neighbors.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jedisais
tudisais
il/elledisait
nousdisions
vousdisiez
ils/ellesdisaient

Quand j'étais enfant, je disais toujours des histoires.

When I was a child, I always told stories.

Elle disait souvent la même chose.

She often said the same thing.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jedirai
tudiras
il/elledira
nousdirons
vousdirez
ils/ellesdiront

Demain, je dirai ce que je pense.

Tomorrow, I will say what I think.

Ils diront la vérité à tous.

They will tell the truth to everyone.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jedirais
tudirais
il/elledirait
nousdirions
vousdiriez
ils/ellesdiraient

Je dirais oui si j'avais le choix.

I would say yes if I had the choice.

Elle dirait la vérité si elle pouvait.

She would tell the truth if she could.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.

jeque je dise
tuque tu dises
il/ellequ'il/elle dise
nousque nous disions
vousque vous disiez
ils/ellesqu'ils/elles disent

Il faut que je dise la vérité.

It is necessary that I tell the truth.

Bien qu'elle dise cela, je ne la crois pas.

Even though she says that, I don't believe her.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

jeavais dit
tuavais dit
il/elleavait dit
nousavions dit
vousaviez dit
ils/ellesavaient dit

Avant de partir, j'avais dit au revoir à tout le monde.

Before leaving, I had said goodbye to everyone.

Ils avaient dit qu'ils viendraient plus tôt.

They had said that they would come earlier.

"dire" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "dire" regular or irregular in French?
"dire" is an irregular French verb. It does not follow the standard 3rd conjugation pattern and must be memorized.
How do you conjugate "dire" in the present tense?
In the Présent, "dire" conjugates as: dis, dis, disons, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "dire" in French?
In the Passé Composé, "dire" conjugates as: ai dit, as dit, avons dit, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "dire" in French?
"dire" (to say, to tell) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.