Learning how to use the Spanish verb decir (to say, to tell) is essential for everyday conversations. This common verb helps you express opinions, share information, and report what others have said. In this lesson, we'll explore the most useful forms of decir and show you how to use them correctly in various situations through real examples from native speakers.

Common Forms of the Spanish Verb Decir

One of the most commonly used forms of the verb decir is digo (I say):
 

Pero si yo digo: Yo voy en el autobús y usted va en el coche,

But if I say: I am going in the bus and you [formal] are going in the car,

Captions 49-51, Fundamentos del Español 6 - Tú y Usted

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The verb decir is frequently followed by the word que (that):

Siempre digo que tiene una energía especial,

I always say that it has a special energy

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Also remember that in Spanish you don't always need to use personal pronouns before verbs, since these are conjugated differently for each person:

Digo lo que veo.

I say what I see.

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Using "Dice" in Spanish Conversations

Another common form of the verb decir is dice (he/she/it says). The reason why dice is very useful is because it helps us talk about what we read or hear. For example:

Hay un letrero en la puerta que dice que ya está cerrado | There's a sign on the door saying it's closed already.

El mensaje dice que viene una gran tormenta | The message says a big storm is coming.

Mayra dice que te tienes que ir | Mayra says you have to go.

We mentioned before that it's very common to omit personal pronouns before verbs in Spanish. But you will find that the verb decir is frequently preceded by reflexive, direct, or indirect object pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, le, les, la, las, lo) depending on what is being said and to whom. For example:

¿Quién nos dice que la vida nos dará el tiempo necesario?

Who says [to us] life will give us the necessary time?

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Supongamos que un amigo me dice lo siguiente:

Let's imagine that a friend tells me the following:

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Combining Pronouns with Decir

It's also important to remember how pronouns are combined when using this verb. You must place reflexive or indirect object pronouns first, and then direct object pronouns right next to the verb. In the following example te replaces an indirect object (you) and lo (it) replaces a direct object:

te lo digo de corazón

I tell you from the heart.

Caption 25, Documental de Alejandro Fernandez Viento A Favor - Part 1

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Past Tense and Common Expressions with Decir

The past tense dijo (he/she/it said) is another useful form of this verb. For example, you can use it to talk about what someone told you in the past. The expression me lo dijo (he/she/it told it to me) is worth learning:

¡Es verdad, pana, mi hermano me lo dijo!

It's true, pal, my brother told it to me!

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No le digas (don't tell him/her) and no me digas (don't tell me) are also useful:

¡No le digas, Candelario!

Don't tell him, Candelario!

Caption 14, Guillermina y Candelario La Isla de las Serpientes - Part 1

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Another fixed expression is se dice (it's said, one says), which is equivalent to dice la gente (people say):

y se dice que sus flores anuncian la llegada de buenas noticias.

and it is said that its flowers announce the arrival of good news.

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The same phrase, se dice, can also be used to talk about the correct pronunciation of a word, or its meaning in a different language. For example:

Buenos días se dice "bonjour" en Francés | "Bonjour" is good morning in French.
No se dice "soy contento", se dice "estoy contento" | You don't say "soy contento," you say "estoy contento" (I'm happy).

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Master the Spanish Verb Decir with Real Examples

The Spanish verb decir is one of the most important verbs to learn because it helps you express yourself and understand others in everyday conversations. By practicing the different forms we've covered (digo, dice, dijo, no digas, se dice), you'll be able to use this verb confidently in various contexts.

You can find many more examples of the verb decir in our catalog. Just type the form of the verb that you want to practice in the search tool to start learning real Spanish from real speakers in real situations!

We hope this lesson has helped you understand how to use the Spanish verb decir effectively. Have you tried using any of these expressions in your conversations? We'd love to hear about your experience with this versatile verb! Remember that mastering decir is a big step toward fluency in Spanish. If you have any thoughts or experiences to share, we're eager to hear from you. ¡Hasta la próxima, and don't forget to send us your questions and suggestions!

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Hola. ¿Qué pasa?

Now let's get started by looking at "pasar" -- a verb with many meanings. Here are some examples:

Hola. ¿Qué pasa? ¿Y qué te pasó?
Hi. What's up? [used as a common greeting] And what happened to you?

Pásame la sal.
Pass me the salt.

Vilma pasó veinte minutos buscando las llaves.
Vilma spent twenty minutes looking for the keys.

Él es muy cuidadoso al pasar la calle.
He is very careful crossing the street.

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As you can see from our examples, "pasar" can mean "to happen" or "to occur." It can also express the passage of an object (like salt), the passage of time (like 20 minutes) or the passage from one place to another (e.g., across the street).

In the first part of our documentary about singer Alejandro Fernández, we hear a reflexive version of the verb pasar:

Alejandro te pasaste.

Alejandro you've outdone yourself.

Caption 3, Documental de Alejandro Fernandez - Viento A Favor

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At first glance, a native English speaker might try to translate this as "Alejandro, you've passed yourself," which obviously isn't quite right. However, if we modify this attempt slightly, we get "you've surpassed yourself," which has the same meaning as what we went with,  "you've outdone yourself."

The sentiment here is positive; Alejandandro has done an excellent job on his new album. However, it's interesting to note that pasarse is probably most often used to indicate the negative sentiment of "going too far," either literally:

Nos hemos pasado, el teatro está más arriba.
We've gone too far, the theater isn't this far down.

or figuratively:

Esta vez te has pasado, voy a llamar a tu mamá.
This time you've gone too far, I'm going to call your mother.

In English, another way of expressing "to go too far" is "to cross the line." The same is true in Spanish, where we find pasarse (de la raya). The de la raya portion of the phrase can be stated explicitly or omitted, in which case its meaning is implicitly understood. For example:

Me pasé (de la raya) al intentar besarla en los labios.
I went too far (crossed the line) when I tried to kiss her on the lips.

Las gasolineras se pasan (de la raya) con esos precios tan altos.
The gas stations are crossing the line with such high prices.

¡No te pases (de la raya)!
Don't cross the line! (Stay in check; control yourself.)

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But all this negativity aside, in our video, "te pasaste" is clearly a compliment. Tone and context clue us in. It's similar in English when you say: "You've outdone yourself this time!," and, depending on your tone of voice and the context, such a statement can be taken as an insult or as praise.  We'll take that as a compliment.

No se tenía porqué poner zapatos.

There was no need to wear shoes.

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In this space, just two weeks ago, we discussed que ("that") and ¿qué? ("what?"), porque ("because") and ¿por qué? ("why?"). In these instances, the accent over the é turned a conjunction into an interrogation.

This week, the affable archaeologist Federico Kauffman Doig reminds us of another porqué, which is a noun that means the reason, cause or motive for something. Because it's a noun, porqué has a gender – masculine – and is often preceded by a definite (el, los) or indefinite article (un, unos).

Related:

Nadie sabe [el] porqué de su abandono.

Nobody knows the reason for its abandonment.

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Escuchar esta música en la voz de Alejandro nos hace recordar el porqué hacemos esto.

Listening to this music in Alejandro's voice makes us remember why (the reason) we do this.

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Los porqués son...
The reasons are...
 
Un porqué de...
A reason for....

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So, take this hint if you want to ace a Spanish spelling bee (un concurso de deletreo): If porqué is used as a noun, it's always one word and has an accent over its é.