The Subjunctive Mood of Decir is used to express desires, doubts, or uncertainty about something being said or told. For example, Es importante que digas la verdad. (It’s important that you tell the truth.)

Decir is an irregular verb in the Subjunctive Mood, meaning its conjugations do not follow a set pattern like regular verbs.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Decir (to say, tell) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

Decir generally means “to say” or “to tell”, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To suggest or propose: for example, Digan lo que quieran (Let them say what they want).

To express an opinion: for example, Digan lo que digan, yo no cambiaré de opinión (Say what they may, I won’t change my mind).

To order or command: for example, Dígame la verdad (Tell me the truth).

To reveal or disclose: for example, No digan nada de lo que vieron (Don’t say anything about what you saw).

To mean or signify: for example, Eso no diga nada (That doesn’t mean anything).

To call or name: for example, ¿Cómo digan a esa persona? (What do they call that person?).

To read (in the sense of saying aloud): for example, Digan lo que pone en el libro (Say what it says in the book).

Colloquially, to insult or criticize: for example, Digan lo que quieran, pero no me importa (Say what you want, but I don’t care). Note: This usage is considered rude.

Examples

Examples of Decir in the Subjunctive Mood

Mi mamá me diga que debo estudiar más. (My mom tells me that I should study more.)

Es importante que tú digas la verdad. (It’s important that you tell the truth.)

El profesor quiere que nosotros digamos la respuesta en voz alta. (The teacher wants us to say the answer out loud.)

Ojalá que ellos digan que sí a la propuesta. (I hope they say yes to the proposal.)

Aunque no lo creas, me gustaría que tú digas tu opinión. (Even if you don’t believe it, I’d like you to give your opinion.)

Para la reunión, es necesario que el líder diga las reglas con claridad. (For the meeting, it’s necessary that the leader clearly states the rules.)

Vamos a sugerir que ellos digan la verdad. (Let’s suggest that they tell the truth.)

Prefiero que ustedes digan lo que piensan con honestidad. (I prefer that you say what you honestly think.)

Es una lástima que nadie diga nada al respecto. (It’s a shame that nobody says anything about it.)

Tal vez sea mejor que tú digas las cosas sin rodeos. (Maybe it’s better if you speak frankly.)

El entrenador insistió en que los jugadores digan la verdad sobre el incidente. (The coach insisted that the players tell the truth about the incident.)

Dudamos que la prensa diga toda la verdad sobre el escándalo. (We doubt that the press will tell the whole truth about the scandal.)

Temo que mi jefe diga que no puedo tomar vacaciones. (I’m afraid my boss will say I can’t take a vacation.)

¿Crees que el político diga las propuestas con sinceridad? (Do you think the politician will state the proposals sincerely?)

Esperamos que el conferencista diga cosas interesantes sobre el tema. (We hope the speaker says interesting things about the topic.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Decir (to say, tell) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.