dit
/di/
In French, dit is used for says.
The verb dire is the most common and general way to say 'says' in French. While dit is the standard form for 'says', other verbs can be more specific: use déclarer for making an official statement or declaration, raconter for storytelling or narrating and chuchoter when you specifically mean 'to whisper'.
Which one should you use?
The form dit can function as the present tense third-person singular, meaning 'he/she/it says' or as a past participle meaning 'said' in compound tenses.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb dire is irregular. In the present tense, the stem and endings change according to the subject: use dis for 'I say', dis for 'you say', dit for 'he/she/it says' and disent for 'they say'. If you want to express a continuous or habitual action in the past, such as 'he was saying' or 'he used to say', use the imperfect form disait rather than the simple past dit.
How do you pronounce it?
/di/
Did you know?
- The phrase c'est dit can be used as a definitive way to end a discussion, similar to saying 'it is settled' or 'it is a deal' in English.
- While English speakers often use 'says' to report a quote, French writers frequently switch to more evocative verbs like s'exclama or répliqua to avoid the repetitive use of dit.
- The French word for 'said' or 'says', dit, is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'dictation'.
Examples in context
- Qui dit ça ?Who says that?This example is useful for asking who is speaking using dit.Tatoeba #7723951 by Katastrauff, translation #1936968 by Zuriberri
- Et s'il dit non ?What if he says no?This example shows how to use dit in a conditional context.Tatoeba #2417329 by sacredceltic, translation #2415795 by Hybrid
- Fais comme il dit.Do as he says.This example demonstrates using dit to refer to someone's instructions or words.Tatoeba #6818246 by GB3, translation #2029928 by Spamster
- Elle dit qu'elle viendra à la réunion.She says that she will attend the meeting.
- Le rapport déclare que les chiffres sont en baisse.The report says that the numbers are decreasing.
- Ils se chuchotent des secrets à l'oreille.They whisper secrets in each other's ears.
- 673 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are discussing a text message.
- NathanQu'est-ce que le message dit ?What does the message say?
- ChloéIl dit qu'il arrive bientôt.It says that he is arriving soon.
- NathanEst-ce qu'il dit l'heure ?Does he say the time?
- ChloéNon, il ne dit rien d'autre.No, he doesn't say anything else.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dit, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
