me dijo
/me dixo/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "he told me" is me dijo.
This phrase is used to report that a male person gave information to the speaker.
Which one should you use?
Use me dijo for a completed action at a specific point in time, whereas me decía is used for habitual actions in the past or describing an ongoing background action.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the verb dijo is the third-person singular, the subject 'he' is often omitted if the context is already established.
Did you know?
- The word dijo shares the same Latin root as the English word 'dictate', 'dictionary' and 'dictator'.
- If a woman is the one speaking, the phrase remains me dijo because the 'me' refers to the speaker regardless of their gender.
- The verb decir is highly irregular, meaning the form dijo looks nothing like its infinitive form, unlike many other Spanish verbs.
Examples in context
- Me dijo la verdad.He told me the truth.This sentence is useful for reporting that someone told the speaker the truth using me dijo.Tatoeba #5132775 by don_ramon, translation #1436302 by CK
- Él me dijo adónde ir.He told me where to go.This sentence is useful for reporting that someone told the speaker where to go using me dijo.Tatoeba #1250904 by Shishir, translation #292030 by CH
- Me dijo que lo sentía.He told me he was sorry.This sentence is useful for reporting that someone told the speaker they were sorry using me dijo.Tatoeba #9292085 by Shishir, translation #7404530 by CH
- ¡Oye, me dijo que vamos a salir este fin de semana!Hey, he told me we're going out this weekend!
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are discussing a message from a friend.
- Mateo¿Qué pasó con tu hermano?What happened with your brother?
- SofíaÉl me dijo que vendría tarde.He told me that he would come late.
- MateoÉl me dijo eso a mí también.He told me that too.
- SofíaEntonces, no te preocupes.Then, don't worry.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dijo, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
