dice
The Italian phrase for "says" is dice.
Which one should you use?
Because the third-person singular form is gender-neutral, dice can mean both "he says" and "she says".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Southern Italian dialects, ddice is used instead of the standard Italian dice.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present indicative tense, the verb is conjugated as dico, dici, dice, diciamo, dite, dicono.
Did you know?
- Italian has a specific idiom dire le bugie, which literally means 'to say the lies' rather than 'to tell lies'.
- The verb dire used to form dice comes from the Latin dicere, which is the same root for the English word 'dictionary'.
- In Italy, a common way to say 'I don't know' is non saprei, but if someone is being evasive, a listener might snap Ma che dice?, meaning 'What are you even saying?'
Examples in context
- E chi lo dice?Says who?This sentence is useful for asking "Says who?" using the form dice.Tatoeba #4431477 by Guybrush88, translation #4431467 by sacredceltic
- Dice che lo fa.He says that he does that.This sentence is useful for saying "He says that he does that" using the form dice.Tatoeba #8093705 by Guybrush88, translation #7403458 by CH
- Dice che mi ama.He says he loves me.This sentence is useful for saying "He says he loves me" using the form dice.Tatoeba #8086196 by Guybrush88, translation #7405773 by CH
- Il professore dice che la lezione è importante.The professor says that the lesson is important.
- Mia madre mi dice sempre di fare i compiti.My mother always tells me to do my homework.
- Marco mi racconta che ha viaggiato in Giappone.Marco tells me that he traveled to Japan.
- Claudia mi fa sapere che la festa è stata spostata a domani.Claudia lets me know that the party has been moved to tomorrow.
- La mamma mi ha raccontato ciò che dice suo padre.My mother told me what her father says.
- 3692 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Martina are talking about a common friend's opinion.
- LorenzoCosa dice Marco di questo progetto?What does Marco say about this project?
- MartinaDice che è un'ottima idea.He says it is a great idea.
- LorenzoMa non dice mai la verità.But he never tells the truth.
- MartinaÈ vero, ma cosa dice oggi?It's true, but what is he saying today?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
