Spanish Conversation · Level 7
87 words
Spanish word
decir
Pronunciation
IPA/deˈθiɾ/
Meaning
- verbsay
Example
No sé qué decir.
I don't know what to say.
More examples
¿Qué intentas decir exactamente?
What are you trying to say exactly?
Core concept
A person saying words to another person.
Common phrases
decir que sí
say yes
decir que no
say no
decir la hora
tell the time
Similar words
hablar: Speaks aloud in conversation with another person.
comunicar: Communicates information or ideas to someone.
explicar: Explains something in detail, giving reasons or clarifying meaning.
mencionar: Mentions a fact or name briefly, without elaboration.
Definition in Spanish
Expresar con palabras lo que se piensa, siente o sabe, o reproducir las palabras de otra persona.
Word origin
It comes from Latin dicere 'to say' via Old Spanish dezir, and Latin past participle dictus developed into Spanish dicho.
Usage tips
- To mark who receives information, Spanish normally uses an indirect-object pronoun (le/les), often with 'a + person' for clarity, and reported speech uses decir + que + clause.
Other meanings
- tellverb
- stateverb
Related words
- dichosayingnoun
- contradecircontradictverb
- maledecircurseverb