Which one should you use?
The form dijiste is used for a single person in an informal context. In contrast, dijo is used for a single person in a formal context. When addressing multiple people, use dijisteis for informal situations in Spain or dijeron for both formal and informal situations in Latin America.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina or parts of Central America, you may use Vos dijiste for the informal "you said". In Spain, the informal plural form is dijisteis, whereas in Latin America, the plural form dijeron is used for both formal and informal "you all".
How does it change in a sentence?
dijiste is the second-person singular preterite for the informal "tú", while dijo is the second-person singular preterite for the formal "usted".
How do you pronounce it?
/dixiste/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid adding an 's' to the end of the word. The form dijistes is incorrect. Use dijiste instead.
Did you know?
- Adding an 's' to the end of dijiste to make dijistes is a common mistake among native speakers and is often used in cinema to signal that a character has a low level of education.
- In Spanish, the verb decir can be used to express 'to tell a lie' through the phrase decir mentiras, treating the lie as something that is spoken rather than told.
- The modern spelling of dijiste hides its original connection to the word 'dictate' or 'dictionary'. Both stem from the Latin 'dicere', the ancestor of 'dijiste'.
Examples in context
- Sé lo que dijiste.I know what you said.This sentence is useful for expressing knowledge of what was said using dijiste.Tatoeba #4554911 by swyter, translation #2376390 by CK
- No oí lo que dijiste.I didn't hear what you said.This sentence is useful for expressing that what was said was not heard using dijiste.Tatoeba #1745616 by marcelostockle, translation #24993 by CK
- No es lo que dijiste.That's not what you said.This sentence is useful for clarifying that something is not what was said using dijiste.Tatoeba #8011520 by Seael, translation #2849776 by CK
- En la reunión de hoy, usted dijo que el informe estaría listo mañana.In today's meeting, you said that the report would be ready tomorrow.
- Señora López, ¿dijo usted que estaría disponible esta tarde?Mrs. López, did you say you would be available this afternoon?
- ¿Tú dijiste que vendrías a la fiesta esta noche?Did you say you would come to the party tonight?
- Vos dijiste que me llamarías después del trabajo.You said you would call me after work.
- Usted dijo que enviaría el correo electrónico más tarde.You said you would send the email later.
- Vos dijiste que te gustaría ir de vacaciones a la playa.You said you would like to go on vacation to the beach.
- En el texto, tú me comentaste que no podrías asistir a la reunión.In the text, you told me that you couldn't attend the meeting.
- 118 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are discussing a movie they saw.
- Lucía¿Qué dijiste sobre la película?What did you say about the movie?
- JavierDijiste que era muy divertida.You said it was very fun.
- LucíaAh, es verdad, lo dije.Ah, it's true, I said it.
- JavierSí, me gustó mucho.Yes, I liked it a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dijiste, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
