What is the present perfect of decir in Spanish?

He dicho, has dicho, ha dicho, hemos dicho, habéis dicho, han dicho. Combines present-tense haber + IRREGULAR past participle dicho. Te he dicho la verdad = I have told you the truth.

Why is the past participle of decir irregular?

Dicho comes from Latin dictus, which evolved into the irregular dicho rather than the regular *decido. Decir is one of about twelve Spanish verbs with irregular past participles, alongside hacer (hecho), ver (visto), poner (puesto).

Where do pronouns go in compound tenses?

BEFORE the auxiliary haber: te he dicho (I've told you), me lo ha dicho (he's told me it), nos lo han dicho (they've told us it). Never between haber and the past participle.

Do compounds of decir follow the same pattern?

Yes. Predecir → predicho (predicted), contradecir → contradicho (contradicted), desdecir → desdicho (retracted), bendecir → bendicho (blessed), maldecir → maldicho (cursed). All inherit the irregular -dicho pattern.

How can I master the present perfect of decir?

Memorize the irregular participle dicho. Always pair with an indirect object pronoun: te he dicho, me ha dicho, nos han dicho. Drill in frustration contexts (te lo he dicho mil veces) and reporting contexts (¿qué te ha dicho?). Parrot's videos surface these uses naturally.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Present Perfect of Decir: He Dicho, Has Dicho, Conjugation and Use

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Present perfect of decir uses present-tense haber + IRREGULAR past participle dicho: he dicho, has dicho, ha dicho, hemos dicho, habéis dicho, han dicho. Dicho is irregular (NOT *decido).

Te he dicho la verdad.

I have told you the truth.

What it is

The present perfect of decir combines present-tense haber with the irregular past participle dicho: he dicho, has dicho, ha dicho, hemos dicho, habéis dicho, han dicho. Almost always accompanied by an indirect object pronoun (te, me, le, nos, os, les).

In Te he dicho la verdad (I have told you the truth), te is the indirect object, he is the present yo of haber, and dicho is the irregular past participle of decir.

How to spot it

Look for haber + dicho. Almost always paired with an indirect object pronoun: te he dicho, me ha dicho, les hemos dicho.

Te lo he dicho mil veces. — I've told you a thousand times.
Me ha dicho que no. — She has told me no.
Nos han dicho la verdad. — They have told us the truth.

Dicho is irregular (NOT *decido). Compounds of decir like predecir → predicho, contradecir → contradicho follow the same irregular pattern.

Present Perfect of Decir Quick Reference

Present perfect of decir, haber + dicho (irregular)

Person	Form	Translation
yo	he dicho	I have said/told
tú	has dicho	you have said/told
él/ella/Ud.	ha dicho	he/she/it has said/told
nosotros	hemos dicho	we have said/told
vosotros	habéis dicho	you all have said/told (Spain)
ellos/ellas/Uds.	han dicho	they have said/told

Common Present Perfect of Decir Examples in Spanish

Present perfect of decir in real contexts:

Reporting Past Statements

Te he dicho la verdad.: I have told you the truth.
Me ha dicho que vendrá.: He has told me he'll come.
Nos han dicho los resultados.: They have told us the results.
Les hemos dicho todo.: We have told them everything.
¿Qué te ha dicho?: What did she tell you?

Most common use: reporting recent past statements with IOP.

Frustration / Emphasis

Te lo he dicho mil veces.: I've told you a thousand times.
Ya te he dicho que no.: I've already told you no.
Te lo he dicho cien veces.: I've told you a hundred times.
¿Cuántas veces te lo he dicho?: How many times have I told you?
Como te he dicho.: As I've told you.

Common in expressions of frustration or emphasizing repeated past statements.

Negative / Denials

No te he dicho nada.: I haven't told you anything.
Nunca me ha dicho la verdad.: He has never told me the truth.
No le hemos dicho nada.: We haven't told her anything.
No te han dicho lo importante.: They haven't told you the important thing.
Nadie me ha dicho nada.: Nobody has told me anything.

Common in denials and statements about lack of communication.

Reflexive / Reciprocal Decirse

Nos hemos dicho todo.: We have told each other everything.
Se han dicho cosas feas.: They have said ugly things to each other.
Me he dicho que no me importa.: I've told myself it doesn't matter.
Os habéis dicho la verdad.: You all have told each other the truth.
Se lo han dicho todo.: They have told each other everything.

Reciprocal nos / os / se + hemos dicho = have told each other. Reflexive me he dicho = have told myself.

How to Use the Present Perfect of Decir

Structure: Haber + Dicho

Conjugate haber in the present + irregular past participle dicho. Add indirect object pronoun for the listener.

te + he + dicho = te he dicho.

IOP + haber + dicho.

IOP + haber (present) + dicho.

Dicho Is IRREGULAR

The past participle of decir is dicho (NOT *decido). One of about twelve common irregular past participles in Spanish.

decir → dicho (irregular).

Past participle is irregular.

Dicho, NOT *decido.

Pronoun Placement

In compound tenses, object pronouns (direct, indirect, reflexive) go BEFORE the auxiliary haber: te he dicho, me lo ha dicho, nos lo han dicho. Never between haber and the participle.

Te lo he dicho. NOT *He te lo dicho.

Pronouns precede haber.

Pronoun + haber + participle.

Compounds Follow the Pattern

Predecir → predicho (predicted), contradecir → contradicho (contradicted), desdecir → desdicho (retracted) all follow the irregular -dicho pattern.

predecir → predicho.

Compounds inherit irregularity.

All compounds use -dicho.

Common Mistakes with Present Perfect of Decir

Incorrect: He decido la verdad. — I have told the truth.

Correct: He dicho la verdad. — I have told the truth.

The past participle of decir is IRREGULAR: dicho, not *decido. One of the most common irregular past participles in Spanish.

Incorrect: He te dicho la verdad. — I have told you the truth.

Correct: Te he dicho la verdad. — I have told you the truth.

Object pronouns go BEFORE the auxiliary haber, not between haber and the participle. Te he dicho, not *He te dicho.

Incorrect: He dicho. (without IOP, in conversation) — I've told you. / I've said it.

Correct: Te he dicho. / Lo he dicho. — I've told you. / I've said it.

Decir almost always requires an indirect object (te / me / le / nos / os / les) or a direct object (lo / la / los / las) to indicate what was said. He dicho alone is incomplete in most contexts.

Present Perfect of Decir FAQs

What is the present perfect of decir in Spanish?: He dicho, has dicho, ha dicho, hemos dicho, habéis dicho, han dicho. Combines present-tense haber + IRREGULAR past participle dicho. Te he dicho la verdad = I have told you the truth.
Why is the past participle of decir irregular?: Dicho comes from Latin dictus, which evolved into the irregular dicho rather than the regular *decido. Decir is one of about twelve Spanish verbs with irregular past participles, alongside hacer (hecho), ver (visto), poner (puesto).
Where do pronouns go in compound tenses?: BEFORE the auxiliary haber: te he dicho (I've told you), me lo ha dicho (he's told me it), nos lo han dicho (they've told us it). Never between haber and the past participle.
Do compounds of decir follow the same pattern?: Yes. Predecir → predicho (predicted), contradecir → contradicho (contradicted), desdecir → desdicho (retracted), bendecir → bendicho (blessed), maldecir → maldicho (cursed). All inherit the irregular -dicho pattern.
How can I master the present perfect of decir?: Memorize the irregular participle dicho. Always pair with an indirect object pronoun: te he dicho, me ha dicho, nos han dicho. Drill in frustration contexts (te lo he dicho mil veces) and reporting contexts (¿qué te ha dicho?). Parrot's videos surface these uses naturally.