Decir (to say) · Imperfect
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Decir in the Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) is: yo decía, tú decías, él/ella/usted decía, nosotros/as decíamos, vosotros/as decíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes decían. The imperfect of decir is fully regular, following the -er -ía pattern. Common uses: habitual past speech ('siempre decía que...'), ongoing speech ('decía la verdad'), and reported speech in narrative.
| To Say | Decir |
|---|---|
| I used to say | yo decía |
| you used to say | tú decías |
| he/she used to say | él/ella/usted decía |
| we used to say | nosotros/as decíamos |
| you used to say | vosotros/as decíais |
| they used to say | ellos/ellas/ustedes decían |
Decir (to say) in context
Sentences that use decir in the imperfect. Tap each to hear it.
My father always used to tell me to study.
You used to say you would come see me.
My grandmother used to tell great anecdotes.
We always said we were going to travel together.
You used to say you didn't like the cinema.
The neighbors used to say the house was haunted.
Working with the imperfect
The imperfect paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Era de noche" (it was nighttime), "tenía cinco años" (I was five years old), "iba al parque cuando me llamaste" (I was going to the park when you called me). Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect — ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). Every other Spanish verb is regular here, which makes the imperfect one of the easiest tenses to learn.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate decir in the imperfect?
When do I use 'decía' instead of 'dije'?
How does decir work in reported speech?
Practice Decir (To Say) in real conversations
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