How do you use the verb dice in Italian? What does it mean? How do you pronounce it?
In this lesson, we will look at how to use this word with the help of many audio recordings and example sentences. Read on to learn everything you need to know!
How to use dice in Italian
What is dice?
Dice is a present tense conjugation of the verb dire, which means to say. To be more precise, it’s the third-person present tense conjugation of dire, which is a very irregular verb in Italian, translating as “he/she says”.
Let’s hear how it is pronounced.
Dice
He/she says
Its pronunciation is close to dee-cheh. If you have trouble pronouncing Italian sounds, check out the Italian pronunciation guide.
Now, let’s see some examples with dice in Italian, before we take a look at how to use the verb dire along with its other present tense conjugations as well.
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
Learn to speak Italian like a native? Easy.
Italian All-in-One For Dummies appeals to those readers looking for a comprehensive, all-encompassing guide to mastering the Italian language. It contains content from all For Dummies Italian language instruction titles, including Italian For Dummies, Intermediate Italian For Dummies, Italian Verbs For Dummies, Italian Phrases For Dummies, Italian Grammar For Dummies, and Italian For Dummies Audio Set.
La mamma dice di non parlare con gli estranei.
Mom says not to talk to strangers.
Stefano dice spesso di voler andare a vivere a New York.
Stefano often says that he wants to go and live in New York.
Il mio insegnante dice che sono un bravo studente.
My teacher says I’m a good student.
Non credere a quello che dice Elena. Racconta solo bugie.
Don’t believe what Elena says. She only tells lies.
Luca dice di avere sete.
Luke says he is thirsty.
Now let’s see where the word dice in Italian comes from.
Use of dice in Italian
You likely already know that the indicativo presente (present tense) conjugation for the pronoun io adds the ending -o to the root of the verb, or stem (see note for more info).
What’s the stem of a verb?
Italian infinite verbs end in -ARE, -ERE and -IRE.
Cut off this part and you are left with the root verb.
Examples:
portare ➡️ port-
scendere ➡️ scend-
aprire ➡️ apr-
Italian verb endings for each tense are added to these root forms of the verb.
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Now, how would you conjugate the present tense of dire, “to say”?
Take away the infinitive ending -ere and add -o!
Dire… ➡️ D-… ➡️ Io do?
You may be surprised to learn that the correct conjugation is actually io dico. Io do actually means I give, and it’s a conjugated form of the verb dare, to give.
This is because dire is an irregular verb. This is also why we will say dice in Italian.
That said, let’s take a look at the present tense conjugation of dire along with its pronunciation.
Present tense conjugation for dire
| io | dico |
| tu | dici |
| lui, lei | dice |
| noi | diciamo |
| voi | dite |
| loro | dicono |
For example, you could say…
Come si dice “gatto” in inglese?
How do you say “gatto” in English?
Io dico che sarebbe meglio non entrare.
I say it would be better not to go in.
Ma cosa dici? Io non ho mai rubato nulla dalla tua dispensa!
What are you talking about? I never stole anything from your larder!
And that’s the end of our lesson on how to use dice in Italian!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen how to use dice in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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