ella dijo
/eʝa dixo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "she said" is expressed as ella dijo.
This phrase is used to report a statement made by a female person in the past. You can use synonyms such as comentó (commented) or afirmó (asserted) to add more specific nuance to what was being said.
Which one should you use?
In English, you must include the subject "she," but in Spanish, the subject pronoun ella is often omitted if the context has already made it clear who is speaking.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word dijo is the third-person singular preterite form of the verb decir (to say). When you use this phrase to report a statement, ella dijo is often followed by the conjunction que to mean "she said that".
Did you know?
- The root of dijo can be traced back to the Latin verb dīcō, meaning 'to say'. This makes the word a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'dictation'.
- To describe what a woman used to say habitually or what she was saying when interrupted, speakers use ella decía instead of ella dijo.
- If you are writing a story in Spanish, you might see dijo ella instead of ella dijo. Reversing the order by placing the subject after the verb is a common stylistic way to add literary flair in narrative prose.
Examples in context
- Ella dijo que era feliz.She said that she was happy.This sentence shows how to report a state of being using ella dijo.Tatoeba #504452 by Shishir, translation #240778 by CK
- Ella dijo que era guapa.She said that she was good-looking.This sentence demonstrates reporting a description of appearance using ella dijo.Tatoeba #1267259 by marcelostockle, translation #664126 by bluepie88
- Eso es lo que ella dijo.That's what she said.This sentence shows a way to use ella dijo to identify a specific statement.Tatoeba #1388284 by marcelostockle, translation #1388273 by Spamster
- Ella dijo que llegaría tarde.She said she would arrive late.
- Ella dijo que te vio ayer en el centro comercial.She said she saw you yesterday at the mall.
- 72 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are discussing a message from a friend.
- Daniel¿Qué pasó con el plan?What happened with the plan?
- ElenaElla dijo que no puede venir.She said she cannot come.
- Daniel¿Estás segura de lo que ella dijo?Are you sure about what she said?
- ElenaSí, lo escuché claramente.Yes, I heard it clearly.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dijo, ella, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
