Introduction

Dizer means “to say”, and this page covers exactly one thing: dizer in the pretérito perfeito. The pretérito perfeito is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full pretérito perfeito table for dizer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito imperfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about dizer in the pretérito perfeito. It is the verb for reporting speech and stating facts, and it is the verb you reach for whenever you quote someone or give an opinion plainly. Its forms are irregular in the present, the pretérito perfeito and the future, so do not guess them from the infinitive: digo, dizes, diz, and disse in the past. For example: “Ele disse a verdade ontem.” — “He said the truth.” Everything on this page uses the forms of dizer exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Dizer in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu disse
tu disseste
ele/ela disse
nós dissemos
vós dissestes
eles/elas disseram
Gerund: dizendo · Past participle: dito
The gerund is dizendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Dizendo a verdade, aprendo muito.” — “While saying the truth, I learn a lot.” The past participle is dito, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho dito is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the pretérito perfeito is only one part of how dizer is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for dizer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of dizer is formed

The pretérito perfeito of dizer has six forms: eu disse, tu disseste, ele disse, nós dissemos, vós dissestes, eles disseram. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table. dizer is irregular in the pretérito perfeito, so the six forms have to be learnt as a set instead of derived from the infinitive. The stem changes completely in this tense, and no rule predicts the forms — learn them whole, starting with eu and ele, the two forms you will use most.

Two things about the pretérito perfeito of dizer are worth noticing. First, it is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ontem, esta semana and no ano passado — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense. Second, it is a simple tense, built from one word, unlike the pretérito perfeito composto, which needs ter plus the participle dito: tenho dito. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of dizer is one word per person, it is cheap to learn once the six forms are fixed. Learn them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and say each one with a time word, so the tense and its time words are learnt together.

When to use the pretérito perfeito of dizer

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use dizer in the pretérito perfeito most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The pretérito perfeito describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Portuguese. When the action has a clear end, the pretérito perfeito is the natural choice. Example: “Eu disse a verdade ontem.” — “I said the truth.”

2. Recent events

Use the pretérito perfeito for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Ele disse a verdade ontem.” — “He said the truth.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the pretérito perfeito. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Nós dissemos a verdade ontem.” — “We said the truth.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the pretérito perfeito for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu disseste a verdade ontem.” — “You said the truth.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the pretérito perfeito carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Eles disseram a verdade ontem.” — “They said the truth.”

Pretérito Perfeito vs Pretérito Imperfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the pretérito perfeito is the pretérito imperfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action, while the pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the pretérito perfeito sentences use words such as ontem or esta semana, while the pretérito imperfeito sentences use antigamente or todos os dias.

  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele disse a verdade ontem.” — “He said the truth”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele dizia a verdade antigamente.” — “He used to say the truth”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu disse a verdade ontem.” — “I said the truth”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu dizia a verdade antigamente.” — “I used to say the truth”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu disseste a verdade ontem.” — “You said the truth”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu dizias a verdade antigamente.” — “You used to say the truth”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

Example sentences: dizer in the pretérito perfeito

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu disse a verdade ontem.” — “I said the truth”
  2. “Tu disseste a verdade ontem.” — “You said the truth”
  3. “Ele disse a verdade ontem.” — “He said the truth”
  4. “Nós dissemos a verdade ontem.” — “We said the truth”
  5. “Vós dissestes a verdade ontem.” — “You said the truth”
  6. “Eles disseram a verdade ontem.” — “They said the truth”
  7. “Eu disse a verdade ontem.” — “I said the truth”
  8. “Ele disse a verdade ontem.” — “He said the truth”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu digo a verdade ontem.” Right: “Eu disse a verdade ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito disse for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu dizia a verdade ontem.” Right: “Eu disse a verdade ontem.” Why: The pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual past action, not one finished event. For a single finished action yesterday, use the pretérito perfeito disse.
  • Wrong: “Eu disseste a verdade.” Right: “Eu disse a verdade ontem.” Why: The eu form is disse, not disseste. disseste is the tu form. Match the verb to the subject every time.
  • Wrong: “Eu dizer a verdade.” Right: “Eu disse a verdade ontem.” Why: The infinitive dizer never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After eu you need the conjugated pretérito perfeito form disse.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of dizer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) disseste
    • B) disse
    • C) dissemos
    • D) dissestes

  2. What is the tu form of dizer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) disse
    • B) dissemos
    • C) disseste
    • D) dissestes

  3. What is the ele/ela form of dizer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) disseste
    • B) dissemos
    • C) dissestes
    • D) disse

  4. What is the nós form of dizer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) dissemos
    • B) disse
    • C) disseste
    • D) dissestes

  5. What is the vós form of dizer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) disse
    • B) dissestes
    • C) disseste
    • D) dissemos

  6. What is the eles/elas form of dizer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) disse
    • B) disseste
    • C) disseram
    • D) dissemos

  7. What is the eu form of dizer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) disseste
    • B) dissemos
    • C) dissestes
    • D) disse

  8. What is the tu form of dizer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) disseste
    • B) disse
    • C) dissemos
    • D) dissestes

Answer key

  1. B) disse — the correct form is disse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) disseste — the correct form is disseste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) disse — the correct form is disse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) dissemos — the correct form is dissemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) dissestes — the correct form is dissestes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) disseram — the correct form is disseram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) disse — the correct form is disse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) disseste — the correct form is disseste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does dizer mean in English?

dizer means “to say”. It is a irregular -er verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of dizer formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu disse, tu disseste, ele disse, nós dissemos, vós dissestes, eles disseram.

When do I use the pretérito perfeito instead of the pretérito imperfeito?

Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. Use the pretérito imperfeito for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of dizer?

The gerund is dizendo and the past participle is dito. The perfect tenses use ter + dito.

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