What does dire mean in English?

dire usually means "to say; to tell" in English. The exact translation depends on context and common expressions.

Is dire a common French verb?

Yes. dire is one of the most common French verbs and is worth learning early because it appears often in beginner stories and everyday conversation.

dire usually means to say; to tell in English. Here are the main meanings learners should know:

Forms to know

Conjugation table

Core learner coverage: present, passé composé, imperfect, future, conditional, present subjunctive, and the useful imperative forms where they exist.

Tense	je	tu	il/elle/on	nous	vous	ils/elles
Présent	dis	dis	dit	disons	dites	disent
Passé composé	ai dit	as dit	a dit	avons dit	avez dit	ont dit
Imparfait	disais	disais	disait	disions	disiez	disaient
Futur simple	dirai	diras	dira	dirons	direz	diront
Conditionnel présent	dirais	dirais	dirait	dirions	diriez	diraient
Subjonctif présent	dise	dises	dise	disions	disiez	disent
Impératif	—	dis	—	disons	dites	—

Dire forms compound tenses with avoir: j’ai dit, j’avais dit, j’aurais dit.

Examples

Qu’est-ce qu’il a dit ?

What did he say?

Je te dis la vérité.

I am telling you the truth.

Que veut dire ce mot ?

What does this word mean?