Decir (to say) · Subjunctive
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Decir in the Spanish present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo) is: yo diga, tú digas, él/ella/usted diga, nosotros/as digamos, vosotros/as digáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes digan. The present subjunctive of decir uses the stem 'dig-' (from the indicative yo 'digo'), regular across all six persons. It appears after triggers of doubt, emotion, will, and in indirect commands ('le dije que viniera').
| To Say | Decir |
|---|---|
| I say | yo diga |
| you say | tú digas |
| he/she say | él/ella/usted diga |
| we say | nosotros/as digamos |
| you say | vosotros/as digáis |
| they say | ellos/ellas/ustedes digan |
Decir (to say) in context
Sentences that use decir in the subjunctive. Tap each to hear it.
My father wants me to tell the truth.
I hope you say what you think.
It is important that he/she say something at the meeting.
They want us to tell the truth.
I hope you don't say anything yet.
I doubt they tell the truth.
Working with the subjunctive
The subjunctive isn't a tense — it's a mood. It signals that the speaker views the action as uncertain, desired, or evaluated rather than asserted as fact. Triggers come in four families: WEIRDO (Wishes, Emotion, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojalá) is the standard mnemonic. When you see "que" after one of these triggers, the verb that follows is almost always subjunctive. The irregular subjunctive stem comes from the yo form of the present indicative — learn "hago" and you know "haga" is the subjunctive stem.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate decir in the present subjunctive?
When do I need to use the subjunctive of decir?
Why is the subjunctive 'diga' and not 'deca'?
Practice Decir (To Say) in real conversations
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