All verbs

/diʁ/to sayA1

Family
Family 5 — boot verbs
Takes
a direct object — Takes a direct object; à for who is told

Build map — what to memorise

These three pieces are learnt; every other tense is built from them.

The nous form
disons
Presentprésentlearn it whole

Singular — the short stem

Presentprésent1 exception(s)

Boot verb — ils takes the singular stem back

dis-+-ons -ez -ent

  • vous ditesthe rule said disez
Imperfectimparfaitfollows the rule

dis-+-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Present participleparticipe-présentfollows the rule

dis-+-ant

Subjunctivesubjonctif-présentfollows the rule

Built on ils; nous and vous are the imparfait forms

dis-+-e -es -e -ent

Infinitive
dire
Simple futurefutur-simplefollows the rule

dir-+-ai -as -a -ons -ez -ont

Conditionalconditionnel-présentfollows the rule

Futur stem + imparfait endings

dir-+-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Near futurefutur-prochefollows the rule

aller + infinitive

dire

Past participle
dit

Takes avoir

Passé composépassé-composéfollows the rule

avoir (present) + past participle

dit

Pluperfectplus-que-parfaitfollows the rule

Auxiliary in the imparfait + past participle

dit

Conjugation

présent
Ije dis/ʒə di/I say
youtu dis/ty di/you say
he/sheil dit/il di/he says
wenous disons/nu dizɔ̃/we say
youvous dites/vu dit/you say
theyils disent/il diz/they say

Examples

  • Je dis la vérité.

    /ʒə di la ve.ʁi.te/

    I tell the truth.

  • Il dit la vérité.

    /il di la ve.ʁi.te/

    He tells the truth.

  • Que dis-tu ?

    /kə di.ty/

    What are you saying?

Notes

  • One verb for both "say" and "tell": Je lui dis covers "I tell him" and "I say to him". The person is always indirect — lui, never le. See pronoms-coi.

  • vouloir dire is how French says "to mean": Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire ? — what does that mean?

  • Watch vous dites — one of only three irregular vous forms in the language, with vous faites and vous êtes.