The Italian Verb Files
DIRE
For our third Italian verb of The Italian Verb Files we are going to look at… DIRE!
DIRE means “to say / to tell” in English. — **Make sure not to confused it with PARLARE which means “to talk / to speak”.
DIRE is irregular in many tenses such as the presente, the imperfetto, its past participle (detto), etc. So when you are conjugating it, double check if you are unsure.
DIRE - Italian Verb Conjugation Table
Click to download for FREE! — The Italian Verb Files – Verb Conjugation – Dire
This Italian Verb Conjugation Chart with DIRE shows you the most common verb tenses (3 more subjunctive verb tenses not on here).
Use it as a quick and easy reference sheet for your Italian verb conjugation!
DIRE in the Present Tense
There are a couple grammatical points to be aware of when using DIRE.
DIRE in the PRESENT TENSE
When you are using DIRE in the present tense, you can refer to something said recently in the past as well.
Examples:
- (referring to the present) : Elena dice che non ha voglia di andare. — (Elena says that she doesn’t want to go.)
- (referring to the recent past) : Che dice Elena? — (What did Elena say?) – In this case she was probably just asked a question and the person wants to know what she said
**One phrase that you will often hear with DIRE in the present tense is: “Che ne dici?” which means “What do you think?” or “So how about it?”
DIRE as a hypothetical
In the present tense, DIRE can also be used to present a hypothetical scenario.
This is done by using the “noi” conjugation: “diciamo“.
“Diciamo che…” = Let’s say that…
This usage is quite common and easy to add into your Italian!
DIRE with Italian Prepositions
DIRE can be followed multiple Italian prepositions which change the meaning of what you are saying.
DIRE + “A” and “DI”
- In Italian, if you want to say that you are saying / telling something TO someone, you need to use the preposition “A” after DIRE. (*While this preposition can be omitted in English, it must be there in Italian.)
- Example: “I told my sister that it doesn’t matter.” (*Not I told TO my sister…) = Ho detto a mia sorella che non importa.
Formula: DIRE (QUALCOSA) A (QUALCUNO)
- If you are telling someone TO DO something, the formation is slightly different. For this, you also need to add the preposition “DI” to the sentence.
- Example: “I told my sister to come with us.” = Ho detto a mia sorella di venire con noi.
- Example: “I told my friend to bring the wine.” = Ho detto al mio amico di portare il vino.
- **Note that the verb following “DI” is always in the INFINITVE form.
Formula: DIRE A (QUALCUNO) DI (FARE QUALCOSA)
Italian Phrases, Expressions and Idioms with "Dire"
Next up, we have some common Italian phrases, expressions and idioms that use the verb DIRE!
- Come si dice…? = How do you say…? (This is often used when you don’t know the word for something in another language. Example: Come si dice “dog” in italiano? – How do you say “dog” in Italian?
- (Ma) non mi dire! = You’ve got to be kidding me!
- Dire una preghiera = To say a prayer
- Dire la verità = To tell the truth
- Dire una bugia = To tell a lie
- Modo di dire = an expression / figure of speech
- Voler dire = to mean (Example: La parola “gatto” vuol dire “cat” in inglese. = The word “gatto” means “cat” in English.)
- Tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare (literally: between the saying and the doing there is the sea) = To have good intentions that don’t come to fruition / To be easier said than done
- Non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco (literally: don’t say cat if you don’t have it in the bag) = English equivalent : Don’t count your chickens before they hatch / Don’t count on something before it happens
- Dire pane al pane e vino al vino (literally: to say bread to bread and wine to wine) = to tell it like it is
- Dirne quattro (literally: to say four of them) = to tell someone off / give someone a piece of your mind
- Dire la propria (literally: to say his/her own) = to say one’s opinion
Thanks for reading! I hope you discovered some new ways to use DIRE and some interesting new Italian expressions along the way!
Did I miss an Italian expression with DIRE that you like? Have you heard many of these before? Let me know in the comments!
If you are interested in more Italian idioms and expressions with common verbs, check out my posts on the Italian verbs ESSERE and AVERE!
Italian Grammar Worksheets
Looking for more Italian grammar practice for your class?
Check out these Italian worksheets in the present tense and the passato prossimo! More available on my TPT site.
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