dire
/diʁ/
The English verb 'say' is translated to French as dire.
dire is used to communicate something verbally or in writing. When dire is followed by a subordinate clause, it is almost always accompanied by the conjunction que.
Meaning: to communicate verbally or in writing (verb)
Which one should you use?
In French, dire is used for the act of stating or expressing something, whereas parler is used for the act of speaking or having a conversation.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of dire is dit (said). In the present tense, the second person singular form is dis (you say). You can also use the first person plural form disons to mean 'let's say' when making a suggestion.
How do you pronounce it?
/diʁ/
Did you know?
- In casual French, dis donc is used as an exclamation of surprise or a way to get someone's attention, meaning something like 'hey' or 'wow'.
- The word dire originally meant 'to show' or 'to point out' in its earliest forms. This connection to physical gesturing is a remnant of its Proto-Indo-European root *déyḱeti.
- In certain contexts, dire can mean 'to signify' or 'to mean', such as when asking qu'est-ce que ça veut dire to ask 'what does that mean'.
Examples in context
- Peu reste à dire.There's not much left to say.This sentence uses the form dire to show how much remains to be expressed.Tatoeba #980180 by sacredceltic, translation #9192759 by sundown
- J'ai tant à dire.I have so much to say.This sentence uses the form dire to express having a lot to communicate.Tatoeba #4166658 by sacredceltic, translation #3729620 by CM
- Je dois dire non.I have to say no.This sentence uses the form dire to express the necessity of a specific verbal response.Tatoeba #4959180 by franlexcois, translation #2360565 by CK
- Le professeur a dit que l'examen aura lieu demain.The teacher said that the exam will take place tomorrow.
- Il a affirmé qu'il serait là à l'heure.He stated that he would be there on time.
- Elle m'a dit qu'elle ne pouvait pas venir à la fête.She told me that she couldn't come to the party.
- Hier, il m'a raconté une blague vraiment drôle.Yesterday, he told me a really funny joke.
- On a beaucoup parlé du nouveau film sorti hier.We talked a lot about the new movie released yesterday.
- Il a dit que la réunion aura lieu demain.He said that the meeting will take place tomorrow.
- 1299 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are talking at a cafe about a news report.
- HugoQu'est-ce qu'ils vont dire ?What are they going to say?
- ChloéJe ne sais pas quoi dire.I don't know what to say.
- HugoTu peux dire la vérité.You can tell the truth.
- ChloéC'est difficile de dire ça.It is difficult to say that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “say” translations and entries dire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
