dicir que
Reported Statements
Use dicir que to report a statement and preguntar se to report a yes/no question, as in Di que vén mañá (He says he is coming tomorrow) and Preguntoume se tiña fame (She asked me if I was hungry).
How It Works
Reporting a statement: dicir que, and also contar que, explicar que and responder que. With a present reporting verb, the tense stays the same: Marta di que está cansa (Marta says she is tired).
With a past reporting verb:
• present → imperfect: "Estou cansa" → Dixo que estaba cansa
• future → conditional: "Chegarei tarde" → Dixo que chegaría tarde
The full set of changes is in tense changes in reported speech. For the forms, see the preterite of dicir (dixen, dixo) and the conditional.
Reporting a yes/no question: use preguntar se. Here se means "if" or "whether" and is spelled with e; si means "yes". Questions with a question word keep that word: see indirect questions.
Reporting a request: dicir que + subjunctive reports what someone wants done: Di que esperes (She says you should wait). See the present subjunctive.
Pronouns: on the reporting verb in a plain statement, the pronoun follows: Díxome que... (She told me that...). Inside the que clause it goes before the verb: Dixo que o chamaría (She said she would call him). See pronouns in subordinate clauses.
No extra de: say dicir que, not dicir de que.
Examples (6)
- Di que vén mañá.
He says he is coming tomorrow.
Word by Word: Says that comes tomorrow.
Vén (he comes) keeps its accent.
- Dixo que viría.
He said he would come.
Word by Word: Said-he that would-come.
A future idea reported in the past uses the conditional.
- Marta di que está cansa.
Marta says she is tired.
Word by Word: Marta says that is tired.
- Díxenlle que non podía ir.
I told her I could not go.
Word by Word: Told-I-her that not could go.
Lle follows the verb here, since díxenlle starts the sentence.
- Preguntoume se tiña fame.
She asked me if I was hungry.
Word by Word: Asked-she-me if had-I hunger.
Se introduces a reported yes/no question.
- Dixo que o chamaría á noite.
She said she would call him in the evening.
Word by Word: Said-she that him would-call at-the night.
Inside the que clause, the pronoun o goes before the verb.
Common Mistakes
Writing si instead of se for "if".
Preguntoume si tiña fame.Preguntoume se tiña fame.In Galician, "if" or "whether" is se. Si means "yes".
Adding an extra de before que.
Dixo de que viría.Dixo que viría.Dicir takes que directly. The extra de is a common error in both Galician and Spanish.
Attaching the pronoun after the verb inside the que clause.
Dixo que chamaríao.Dixo que o chamaría.A clause introduced by que puts the unstressed pronoun before the verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Reported statements use que and can shift tense with the reporting viewpoint.
Related Patterns
- Indirect Questions
Reports questions that use a question word, such as onde or cando.
Level 3 - Tense Changes in Reported Speech
The full set of tense changes when the reporting verb is in the past.
Level 5 - Pronouns Before the Verb in Subordinate Clauses
Explains why pronouns go before the verb after que.
Level 3 - Preterite of facer and dicir
The irregular past forms dixen and dixo.
Level 2 - Present of dicir, traer, saír and oír
The present forms digo, dis, di.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice dicir que in Bubblegum
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