Dire
Dire is one of the 20 most common Italian verbs. You’ll hear it every day in conversations, idioms, and expressions.
But here’s the catch: it’s irregular. This means its conjugation doesn’t follow regular patterns — you need to memorize it by heart.
Conjugation of dire (Present tense)
- Io dico – I say
- Tu dici – You say
- Lui/Lei dice – He/She says
- Noi diciamo – We say
- Voi dite – You (all) say
- Loro dicono – They say
Conjugation of dire (Passato Prossimo)
- Io ho detto – I said
- Tu hai detto – You said
- Lui/Lei ha detto – He/She said
- Noi abbiamo detto – We said
- Voi avete detto – You (all) said
- Loro hanno detto – They said
Common Expressions with dire
- Come si dice in italiano? → How do you say it in Italian?
- Dimmi! → Tell me!
- A dire il vero… → To tell the truth, actually…
- Che vuoi dire? → What do you mean?
Dire vs. Parlare vs. Raccontare
In my private classes I’ve noticed that learners often mix these up:
- Dire → to say / to tell a statement
- Ha detto che sta bene. → He said he’s fine.
- Parlare → to speak / to talk
- Parlo con mia sorella. → I talk to my sister.
- Raccontare → to narrate / to tell a story
- Mi racconti una favola? → Will you tell me a story?
Common Mistakes Learners Make
❌ Lui parla che…
✅ Lui dice che…
❌ Lei dice su politica…
✅ Lei parla di politica.
❌ Come parli questo in italiano?
✅ Come si dice questo in italiano?
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