What is the preterite of decir in Spanish?

Dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron, irregular j-stem. Note the 3rd plural DIJERON (no i). Used for completed past speech acts and reported speech.

Why is the 3rd plural dijeron and not dijieron?

All j-stem verbs DROP the i in the -ieron ending. So decir → dijeron, traer → trajeron, conducir → condujeron. This is consistent across the j-stem family.

What's the difference between dije and dijo?

Dije = I said / told (yo form). Dijo = he / she / it said / told (3rd singular). Same verb, different subjects. Dije la verdad = I told the truth. Dijo la verdad = He told the truth.

How do you say someone told me to do something in Spanish?

Me dijo que + imperfect subjunctive: Me dijo que viniera (He told me to come). Subjunctive is required because decir is functioning as a command. Indicative (Me dijo que vine) would mean He said I came, a statement.

How can I master the preterite of decir?

Memorize the six forms, focusing on the j-stem and the dropped i in dijeron. Learn the j-stem family together (decir, traer, conducir), same pattern, different stems. Practice in reported speech contexts.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Preterite of Decir: Conjugation and How to Use It

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

The preterite of decir is irregular j-stem: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron. Note the 3rd plural is dijeron (NOT dijieron), j-stem verbs drop the i.

Te dije la verdad.

I told you the truth.

What it is

The preterite of decir is irregular j-stem: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron. Note the 3rd plural is DIJERON (not dijieron), all j-stem verbs drop the i in the -ieron ending. Used for completed past speech acts.

Te dije la verdad (I told you the truth), preterite of decir, completed past statement.

How to spot it

Look for dij- + endings (-e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron). The j (instead of c) and the dropped i in 3rd plural are the giveaways.

Le dije que no. — I told him no.
Dijo la verdad. — He told the truth.
Nos dijeron todo. — They told us everything.

J-stem family: decir (dije), traer (traje), conducir (conduje), traducir (traduje), producir (produje). All drop the i in 3rd plural.

Preterite of Decir Quick Reference

Preterite of decir, irregular j-stem

Person	Form	Translation
yo	dije	I said/told
tú	dijiste	you said/told
él/ella/Ud.	dijo	he/she/it said/told
nosotros	dijimos	we said/told
vosotros	dijisteis	you all said/told (Spain)
ellos/ellas/Uds.	dijeron	they said/told (NO i)

Common Preterite of Decir Examples in Spanish

The preterite of decir in real Spanish contexts:

Told Someone Something

Te dije la verdad.: I told you the truth.
Me dijo que viene mañana.: He told me he's coming tomorrow.
Le dijimos adiós.: We said goodbye to him.

Decir + indirect object + thing said. Pair with le / les for who you told.

Reported Speech

Dijo que estaba cansado.: He said he was tired.
Dijeron que vendrían.: They said they would come.

Decir + que + reported clause. Tense in the reported clause follows backshift rules (imperfect, conditional, etc.).

Asked / Demanded (Decir Que + Subjunctive)

Me dijo que viniera.: He told me to come.
Te dije que estudiaras.: I told you to study.

When decir means to tell (someone) to do something (a command), the dependent clause takes imperfect subjunctive.

Lo Dije / Te Lo Dije

Te lo dije.: I told you (so).
Se lo dijimos.: We told it to him / her / them.

Common stacked pronouns. Indirect (te / le / se) before direct (lo). Le / les becomes se before lo.

How to Use the Preterite of Decir

Memorize the J-Stem Forms

Decir uses dij- + endings (-e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron). Note: 3rd plural is DIJERON (no i).

Dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron.

I said, you said, he/she said, we said, you all said, they said.

All j-stem verbs (decir, traer, conducir, traducir, producir) drop the i in 3rd plural -eron (not -ieron).

Two Meanings: Said and Told

Decir covers both said (general statement) and told (someone something). The indirect object (le, me, te) marks the listener.

Dije la verdad. (I said the truth) Le dije la verdad. (I told him the truth)

I said the truth. I told him the truth.

Adding an indirect object pronoun shifts the meaning from said to told someone.

Reported Speech with Que

Decir + que + reported clause is the standard reported-speech structure.

Me dijo que estaba cansado. Dijeron que vendrían.

He told me he was tired. They said they would come.

When reporting past speech, tenses in the reported clause shift backward (backshift): present → imperfect, preterite → pluperfect, future → conditional.

Decir + Que + Subjunctive (Command)

When decir means to tell someone to do something (a command, not a statement), the dependent clause takes subjunctive.

Me dijo que viniera. (told me to come) vs. Me dijo que vino. (said he came, reported)

He told me to come. He told me he came.

Subjunctive when decir = command. Indicative when decir = statement / reported speech.

Common Mistakes with Preterite of Decir

Incorrect: Ellos dijieron la verdad. — They told the truth.

Correct: Ellos dijeron la verdad. — They told the truth.

J-stem verbs drop the i in 3rd plural. Decir → dijeron (NOT dijieron). Same for traer → trajeron, conducir → condujeron.

Incorrect: Yo decí la verdad. — I said the truth.

Correct: Yo dije la verdad. — I told the truth.

Decir is irregular in preterite, use dij- stem. Don't apply the regular -ir ending (decí).

Incorrect: Me dijo que vine. — He told me to come.

Correct: Me dijo que viniera. — He told me to come.

When decir functions as a command (told someone TO do something), use subjunctive. Indicative (vine) would mean He told me I came, a different meaning.

J-Stem Family: Decir, Traer, Conducir

Five J-Stem Verbs Share the Pattern

All j-stem verbs use the same endings (-e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron), with NO i in 3rd plural.

decir → dij-: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijeron.: I said...
traer → traj-: traje, trajiste, trajo, trajeron.: I brought...
conducir → conduj-: conduje, condujiste, condujo, condujeron.: I drove...
traducir → traduj-: traduje, tradujiste, tradujo, tradujeron.: I translated...
producir → produj-: produje, produjiste, produjo, produjeron.: I produced...

All -ducir verbs join the j-stem family. The pattern is consistent.

Preterite of Decir FAQs

What is the preterite of decir in Spanish?: Dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron, irregular j-stem. Note the 3rd plural DIJERON (no i). Used for completed past speech acts and reported speech.
Why is the 3rd plural dijeron and not dijieron?: All j-stem verbs DROP the i in the -ieron ending. So decir → dijeron, traer → trajeron, conducir → condujeron. This is consistent across the j-stem family.
What's the difference between dije and dijo?: Dije = I said / told (yo form). Dijo = he / she / it said / told (3rd singular). Same verb, different subjects. Dije la verdad = I told the truth. Dijo la verdad = He told the truth.
How do you say someone told me to do something in Spanish?: Me dijo que + imperfect subjunctive: Me dijo que viniera (He told me to come). Subjunctive is required because decir is functioning as a command. Indicative (Me dijo que vine) would mean He said I came, a statement.
How can I master the preterite of decir?: Memorize the six forms, focusing on the j-stem and the dropped i in dijeron. Learn the j-stem family together (decir, traer, conducir), same pattern, different stems. Practice in reported speech contexts.