dire que

Reported Statements with Dire Que

Level 3

The pattern dire que is the most common way to report information in French. It functions like 'to say that' in English, but unlike English, the word que can never be omitted.

How It Works

The structure dire que is the foundation of indirect speech (le discours indirect).

1. The Mandatory 'Que'
In English, we often say 'He says he is tired.' In French, you must include que: Il dit qu'il est fatigué. Note that que becomes qu' before a vowel or silent 'h' (see elision).

2. Tense Consistency (Present)
When dire is in the present tense, the tense of the reported statement does not change from the original speech:

  • Original: « Je suis prêt. »
  • Reported: Il dit qu'il est prêt.

3. Tense Shifts (Past)
When dire is in a past tense like the passé composé, the reported verb must shift to maintain the correct timeline (see concordance des temps):

4. Mood: Indicative vs. Subjunctive
Usually, dire que takes the indicative because it reports a fact. However, it can trigger the subjunctive if the sentence is negative (expressing doubt) or if it's used to give an indirect order (e.g., Dis-lui qu'il vienne).

Examples (5)

  1. Marc dit qu'il aime le chocolat.

    Marc says that he likes chocolate.

    Word by Word: Marc says that he likes the chocolate.

    A simple present tense report. 'Que' elides to 'qu'' before 'il'.

  2. Elle a dit qu'elle était malade hier.

    She said that she was sick yesterday.

    Word by Word: She has said that she was sick yesterday.

    Because the reporting verb is in the past (a dit), the reported verb shifts from present (est) to imparfait (était).

  3. Le professeur dit que nous aurons un examen.

    The teacher says that we will have an exam.

    Word by Word: The teacher says that we will have an exam.

    The reporting verb is in the present, so the future tense (aurons) remains unchanged.

  4. Ils ont dit qu'ils viendraient à la fête.

    They said they would come to the party.

    Word by Word: They have said that they would come to the party.

    The original 'we will come' (futur simple) shifts to the conditional (viendraient) because the reporting verb is in the past.

  5. Je ne dis pas qu'il ait tort.

    I'm not saying that he is wrong.

    Word by Word: I not say not that he has wrong.

    In a negative sentence, 'dire que' can take the subjunctive (ait) to express uncertainty.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the word 'que'.

    Il dit il est content.
    Il dit qu'il est content.

    In English, 'that' is optional. In French, 'que' is mandatory to link the two clauses.

  • Using the present tense after a past reporting verb.

    Il a dit qu'il est fatigué.
    Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.

    After a past reporting verb, French normally shifts the statement to the imparfait to show it was true at that time. The present is possible only when it is still true now.

  • Using 'dire que' for questions.

    Il dit que où est la gare.
    Il demande où est la gare.

    To report a question, use 'demander' (to ask) rather than 'dire' (to say).

How It Connects

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dire queLevel 3Reported Statements with Dire Que

Learn This First

To report what someone says using 'dire que', you first need to know how to conjugate the verb 'dire'. You also need to understand how to form basic sentences (SVO) and apply elision rules, as 'que' becomes 'qu'' before pronouns starting with a vowel like 'il' or 'elle'.

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