In this French grammar lesson, you will learn about dire conjugation in the present tense.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how dire is conjugated in French
- how dire is used in French
- how dire has derivatives in French
- how dire is pronounced in French
- how dire is used in sentences in French
- how you can quiz yourself on dire conjugation in the present tense
- how to practice with flashcards on dire conjugation in the present tense
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about dire conjugation in the present tense!
Table of Contents
Dire Conjugation in the Present Tense
| je | dis |
| tu | dis |
| il/elle/on | dit |
| nous | disons |
| vous | dites |
| ils/elles | disent |
Usage of Dire
This section on dire conjugation in the present tense will show you how dire is used in French.
Dire means “to say” and is an irregular verb.
We use dire whenever we want to show that something is said.
You may find this confusing as French also has the verb parler.
In French the verb parler means to talk/to speak.
However, how do you know which one you should use?
If you want to mention a conversation where the flow went two ways you would use parler. In short, there is an interaction.
If however, you just wish to state something then dire would be used.
I will provide an example to contrast the two.
The first will be an incorrect example, and the second will show the correct version.
Il parle bonjour.
He speaks hello.
Il dit bonjour.
He says hello.
As you can see the first is wrong as you don’t speak hello, but you say hello.
Dire and Its Derivatives
| contredire | to contradict |
| interdire | to forbid |
| médire | to speak ill/to slander |
| prédire | to predict |
| redire | to say again |
As you can see, dire has a few important derivatives that you should be aware of.
Of all these derivatives, redire has the exact same conjugation as dire.
All of the other verbs conjugate in the same way except in the vous form.
Vous dites
Vous redites
Vous contredisez
Vous interdisez
Vous médisez
Vous prédisez
Perhaps you are wondering why there is a seperate lesson for this and one for lire, seeing as they are quite similar.
Lire and its derivatives also follow a similar conjugation pattern in the present tense.
However, when the passé composé is used they differ.
For that reason these are placed in seperate lessons.
J’aime lire.
I love to read.
Je l’ai lu hier.
I read this yesterday.
In the passé composé lire has an u ending.
Je voudrais dire ce que j’en pense.
I would love to say what I think about this.
Hier, je lui ai dit la vérité.
Yesterday I told her the truth.
In the passé compose dire has an it ending.
The passé composé is an A2 topic, so please don’t worry too much about not understanding it properly.
All you need to know, for now, is that there’s a valid reason for these two verbs to have their own lesson.
Pronunciation of Dire
In this section on dire conjugation in the present tense we will focus on pronunciation.
There are 3 important rules to take into account when you want to pronounce a dire conjugation in the present tense.
- The je, tu, and il/elle/on verb forms all have the same pronunciation. The -s and –t endings are not pronounced. It is just the “di” part that gets pronounced.
Je dis
Tu dis
Il dit
These verbs are pronounced in the same exact way.
You don’t pronounce the letters in red.
- In the vous verb form, you don’t pronounce the -es ending. It is just the “dit” part that gets pronounced.
Vous dites
The last letter that is pronounced is the “t“.
You don’t pronounce the letters in red.
- In the ils/elles verb form, you don’t pronounce the -ent ending. It is just the “dis” part that gets pronounced.
Ils disent
The last letter that is pronounced is the “s“.
You don’t pronounce the letters in red.
Example Sentences with Dire Conjugations
The final section of this lesson on dire conjugation in the present tense is about seeing avoir in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding of dire conjugation in the present tense through examples.
Je dis bonne chance aux optimistes.
I say good luck to the optimists.
Tu contredis tout le monde.
You’re contradicting everyone.
Il est interdit de toucher les œuvres.
It is forbidden to touch the artworks.
Nous prédisons que la question de l’eau, entre autres, va devenir très problématique.
We predict that the issue of water, among others, will become very problematic.
Vous dites que vous connaissez la cause du réchauffement climatique?
You say that you know the cause of global warming?
Ne jamais dire du mal de quelqu’un et éviter ceux qui médisent des autres.
Never speak ill of anyone and avoid those who slander others.
Quiz Yourself on Dire Conjugation in the Present Tense
At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want.
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
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