dire que
Reported Statements
Dire que plus a clause reports what someone says.
How It Works
| Person | Present of dire |
|---|---|
| ieu | disi |
| tu | dises |
| el, ela | ditz |
| nosautres | disèm |
| vosautres | disètz |
| eles, elas | dison |
Put the pronoun for the listener before the verb: me ditz (he tells me), te ditz, li ditz (he tells him or her), nos ditz, vos ditz, lor ditz (he tells them). Li disi que soi content. (I tell him that I am happy.)
The compound past is ai dich: Joan m'a dich que torna deman. The participle is dich; dit is also printed.
Que becomes qu' before a vowel: Disèm qu'avèm fam. Dison que means they say that, with no particular speaker.
Examples (5)
- Maria ditz que Joan es malaut.
Maria says that Joan is ill.
Ditz que reports what Maria says.
- Joan me ditz que torna deman.
Joan tells me he is coming back tomorrow.
Me names the person who is told.
- Disèm qu'avèm fam.
We say that we are hungry.
Qu'avèm is que plus avèm, with the elision.
- Joan m'a dich que torna deman.
Joan told me that he is coming back tomorrow.
A dich is the compound past of dire.
- Dison que fa caud a Besièrs.
They say it is hot in Béziers.
Dison que is the general they say.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out que.
Maria ditz Joan es malaut.Maria ditz que Joan es malaut.Que is required between dire and what was said.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Reported statements use dire que and me, te and nos, so que after a verb and the object pronouns come first.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice dire que in Bubblegum
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