¿por qué dijiste eso?
The English phrase "why did you say that?" is translated into Spanish as ¿por qué dijiste eso?
This phrase is a question used to ask for the reason someone made a specific statement. Using the preterite tense, such as in ¿por qué dijiste eso?, implies a specific, completed instance of saying something rather than a habitual action. To add emphasis or refer to something more distant in time or space, you can replace eso with aquello to say ¿por qué dijiste aquello?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of por qué (why), dijiste (you said – preterite singular) and eso (that).
Which one should you use?
While ¿por qué dijiste eso? is the standard informal way to ask the question, you can use ¿por qué lo dijiste? to mean the same thing. If you want to refer to something more distant or use a more emphatic tone, you can use ¿por qué dijiste aquello?
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some areas of Latin America and Spain, you may hear the form ¿Por qué lo dijistes? instead of dijiste.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the formal "you" (usted), change the verb from dijiste to dijo, resulting in ¿por qué dijo eso? To ask why a group of people said something, use the plural form dijeron in the phrase ¿por qué dijeron eso?
Did you know?
Examples in context
- No entiendo, ¿por qué dijiste eso?I don't understand, why did you say that?
Example conversation
Mateo and María are discussing a comment made about a friend.
- MateoNo creo que Juan sea honesto.I don't think Juan is honest.
- MaríaMateo, ¿por qué dijiste eso?Mateo, why did you say that?
- MateoPorque me mintió ayer.Because he lied to me yesterday.
- MaríaNo sabía que había pasado eso.I didn't know that had happened.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dijiste, eso, por, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
