si tu le dis
/si ty l(ə) di/
The English phrase "if you say so" can be translated into French as si tu le dis.
This phrase is used to convey that the speaker does not agree. While the literal meaning is a conditional statement, in practice, it is used to express skepticism or a lack of conviction in the other person's statement.
Meaning: conveying the speaker does not agree (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of si (if), tu (you, singular/informal), le (it) and dis (say, second person singular present).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The informal way to say this is si tu le dis. You should use si vous le dites instead when speaking to a stranger, a superior or a group of people.
How do you pronounce it?
/si ty l(ə) di/
Did you know?
- In French, the word si acts as a special kind of 'yes' used exclusively to contradict a negative question. If someone asks 'You are not coming?', answering si corrects them to 'Yes, I actually am'.
- Using the formal si vous le dites during a confrontation can actually make the phrase sound more sarcastic. The social distance created by the formal 'you' can make the skepticism feel colder and more biting.
- The word si in French is a doublet, meaning it has two separate origins. One comes from the Latin 'si' meaning 'if', while the other comes from the Latin 'sic' meaning 'so' or 'thus'.
Examples in context
- Si tu le dis.If you say so.This example shows the use of si tu le dis.Tatoeba #5750249 by Petrus, translation #1461968 by Spamster
- Je ne suis pas convaincu que cela fonctionnera, mais si vous le dites, je suis prêt à essayer.I'm not convinced it will work, but if you say so, I am willing to give it a try.
- Je trouve que cette série est ennuyeuse, mais bon, si tu le dis.I find this series boring, but well, if you say so.
- Si tu le dis, mais je ne suis pas sûre.If you say so, but I am not sure.
- C'est ton avis, si tu le dis.It's your opinion, if you say so.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing a movie they just saw.
- ChloéCe film était vraiment génial, tu ne trouves pas ?That movie was really great, don't you think?
- GabrielJe ne suis pas d'accord, c'était très lent.I don't agree, it was very slow.
- ChloéMais l'histoire était magnifique !But the story was magnificent!
- GabrielSi tu le dis, Chloé.If you say so, Chloé.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “if you say so” translations and entries si tu le dis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries le, si, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
