👉 See also: À vrai dire — to tell the truth »
Level A1 (Beginner)
Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is dire, meaning “to say” and “to tell.” This is a quintessential word for basic communication. Qu’est-ce que tu dis ? Je ne comprends pas. (What are you saying? I don’t understand.) Learn to use it naturally in everyday French with Marie’s audio examples!
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
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📘 Dire meaning
Dire means “to say” and “to tell” in French. It’s one of the most common irregular verbs, and you’ll see it in essential expressions like Que veut dire… ? (What does ___ mean?), dire la vérité (to tell the truth), and ça va sans dire (it goes without saying).
🎧 Dire pronunciation
The pronunciation of dire is /diʁ/, which sounds like deer.
📝 Dire examples & usages
Je veux te dire quelque chose d’important.
I want to tell you something important.
Il dit toujours bonjour à tout le monde.
He always says hello to everyone.
Qu’est-ce que tu dis ? Je n’ai pas entendu.
What are you saying? I didn’t hear.
Elle a dit la vérité à ses parents.
She told the truth to her parents.
The expression “Que veut dire + ___” means “What does ___ mean?” It’s an essential phrase for students and travelers alike when asking for the meaning of a word or expression.
👉 See Que veut dire (How do you say?) usage and explanation »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- dire n’importe quoi — to say nonsense, talk rubbish
- c’est-à-dire — that is to say, in other words
- ça va sans dire — it goes without saying
- se dire — to tell oneself, to say to each other
- dire la vérité — to tell the truth
- dire un mensonge — to tell a lie
- dire bonjour / au revoir — to say hello / goodbye
- dire merci — to say thank you
- dire que — to say that
- rien à dire — nothing to say
- autant dire — in other words, effectively
- dire du bien / du mal de — to speak well / badly of someone
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 Dire conjugation chart »
👉 Raconter des salades (to tell stories) »
👉 Vouloir (to want) »
👉 C’est-à-dire (in other words) »
👉 Parler (to speak, to talk) »
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