dire
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Latin dīrus (“fearful, ominous”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
dire (comparative direr or more dire, superlative direst or most dire)
- Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding; portentous.
- dire omens
- Requiring action to prevent bad consequences: urgent, pressing.
- dire need (of)
- 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:
- One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. […] But out of sight is out of mind. And that, together with the inherent yuckiness of the subject, means that many old sewers have been neglected and are in dire need of repair.
- Expressing bad consequences: dreadful; dismal.
- Synonyms: horrible, terrible, lamentable
- dire consequences; to be in dire straits
- 2019 August 30, Jonathan Watts, “Amazon fires show world heading for point of no return, says UN”, in The Guardian[1]:
- Cristiana Paşca Palmer, the executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, said the destruction of the world’s biggest rainforest was a grim reminder that a fresh approach needed to stabilise the climate and prevent ecosystems from declining to a point of no return, with dire consequences for humanity.
- (informal) Bad in quality, awful, terrible.
- His dire blunder allowed her to checkmate him with her next move.
- 2011 December 10, Arindam Rej, “Norwich 4-2 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport:
- A second Norwich goal in four minutes arrived after some dire Newcastle defending. Gosling gave the ball away with a sloppy back-pass, allowing Crofts to curl in a cross that the unmarked Morison powered in with a firm, 12-yard header.
Quotations[edit]
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:dire.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
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See also[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Catalan[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
dire
- (Northern Catalan, Alghero) Alternative form of dir
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Inherited from Middle French dire, from Old French dire, from Latin dīcō, from Proto-Italic *deikō, from Proto-Indo-European *déyḱti (“to show, point out”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
dire
- to say, to tell
- (informal) to be of interest to, to interest [+ à (someone)]
- Ça te dit de regarder un film de science-fiction? ― Do you want to watch a science fiction movie? What do you say to watching a science fiction movie?
- Ça vous dit ? ― Are you interested [in doing this]? Are you up [for it]?
- Il m’a demandé si ça nous dirait de nous joindre à eux plus tard. ― He asked me if we'd like to join them later.
- Ça ne me dit trop rien d’y aller. ― I don't really want to go [there].
- (informal) to sound familiar [+ à (someone)]
- Ça me dit quelque chose. ― It rings a bell.
- Ça ne me dit rien. ― It doesn't ring a bell.
Conjugation[edit]
infinitive | simple | dire | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
present participle or gerund1 | simple | disant /di.zɑ̃/ | |||||
compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
past participle | dit /di/ | ||||||
singular | plural | ||||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | dis /di/ |
dis /di/ |
dit /di/ |
disons /di.zɔ̃/ |
dites /dit/ |
disent /diz/ |
imperfect | disais /di.zɛ/ |
disais /di.zɛ/ |
disait /di.zɛ/ |
disions /di.zjɔ̃/ |
disiez /di.zje/ |
disaient /di.zɛ/ | |
past historic2 | dis /di/ |
dis /di/ |
dit /di/ |
dîmes /dim/ |
dîtes /dit/ |
dirent /diʁ/ | |
future | dirai /di.ʁe/ |
diras /di.ʁa/ |
dira /di.ʁa/ |
dirons /di.ʁɔ̃/ |
direz /di.ʁe/ |
diront /di.ʁɔ̃/ | |
conditional | dirais /di.ʁɛ/ |
dirais /di.ʁɛ/ |
dirait /di.ʁɛ/ |
dirions /di.ʁjɔ̃/ |
diriez /di.ʁje/ |
diraient /di.ʁɛ/ | |
(compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
past anterior2 | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | dise /diz/ |
dises /diz/ |
dise /diz/ |
disions /di.zjɔ̃/ |
disiez /di.zje/ |
disent /diz/ |
imperfect2 | disse /dis/ |
disses /dis/ |
dît /di/ |
dissions /di.sjɔ̃/ |
dissiez /di.sje/ |
dissent /dis/ | |
(compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | – | – | ||||
simple | — | dis /di/ |
— | disons /di.zɔ̃/ |
dites /dit/ |
— | |
compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). |
Derived terms[edit]
- à ce qu’on dit
- à dire la vérité
- à qui le dis-tu
- à qui le dites-vous
- à vrai dire
- aller sans dire
- au dire de
- aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait
- autrement dit
- avoir son mot à dire
- avoir un œil qui dit merde à l’autre
- bien dit
- ça va sans dire
- ce n’est pas pour dire
- ceci dit
- ceci étant dit
- cela dit
- cela étant dit
- cela va sans dire
- comme qui dirait
- c’est celui qui dit qui l’est
- c’est dire
- c’est le cas de le dire
- c’est le moins qu’on puisse dire
- c’est moi qui te le dis
- c’est moi qui vous le dis
- c’est pas pour dire
- c’est rien de le dire
- dire adieu
- dire du mal
- dire pis que pendre
- dire que
- dire quelque chose
- dire quoi
- dire ses quatre vérités
- dis donc
- dis-moi qui tu fréquentes et je te dirai qui tu es
- en dire des vertes et des pas mûres
- en dire long
- en moins de temps qu’il ne faut pour le dire
- fais ce que je dis, pas ce que je fais
- il ne faut jamais dire jamais
- il n’y a pas à dire
- Jacques a dit
- je dis ça, je dis rien
- je ne te dis pas
- je ne te le fais pas dire
- je ne vous le fais pas dire
- je te dis merde
- la messe est dite
- maudire
- médire
- mon petit doigt m’a dit
- ne jamais dire jamais
- ne pas croire si bien dire
- ne pas se le faire dire deux fois
- ne rien dire qui vaille
- parler pour ne rien dire
- plus facile à dire qu’à faire
- pour ainsi dire
- pour ne pas dire
- pour tout dire
- proprement dit
- qui dit mieux
- qui ne dit mot consent
- qu’on se le dise
- sans mot dire
- se le tenir pour dit
- si je puis dire
- si le cœur t’en dit
- si le cœur vous en dit
- si tu le dis
- si tu vois ce que je veux dire
- si vous le dites
- soit dit en passant
- susdit
- tu l’as dit
- tu m’en diras des nouvelles
- tu m’en diras tant
- vouloir dire
- vous m’en direz des nouvelles
Related terms[edit]
Noun[edit]
dire m (plural dires)
Derived terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- “dire”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams[edit]
Italian[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- dicere (archaic)
Etymology[edit]
From a contraction of Latin dīcere, from Proto-Italic *deikō, from Proto-Indo-European *déyḱti (“to show, point out”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
dìre (first-person singular present dìco, first-person singular past historic dìssi, past participle détto, first-person singular imperfect dicévo, second-person singular imperative dì' or (with syntactic gemination after the verb, with written accent on monosyllabic verb) dì, auxiliary avére) (transitive)
Conjugation[edit]
infinitive | dìre | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
auxiliary verb | avére | gerund | dicèndo | |||
present participle | dicènte | past participle | détto | |||
person | singular | plural | ||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | |
indicative | io | tu | lui/lei, esso/essa | noi | voi | loro, essi/esse |
present | dìco | dìci | dìce | diciàmo | dìte | dìcono |
imperfect | dicévo | dicévi | dicéva | dicevàmo | dicevàte | dicévano |
past historic | dìssi | dicésti | dìsse | dicémmo | dicéste | dìssero |
future | dirò | dirài | dirà | dirémo | diréte | dirànno |
conditional | io | tu | lui/lei, esso/essa | noi | voi | loro, essi/esse |
present | dirèi | dirésti | dirèbbe, dirébbe | dirémmo | diréste | dirèbbero, dirébbero |
subjunctive | che io | che tu | che lui/che lei, che esso/che essa | che noi | che voi | che loro, che essi/che esse |
present | dìca | dìca | dìca | diciàmo | diciàte | dìcano |
imperfect | dicéssi | dicéssi | dicésse | dicéssimo | dicéste | dicéssero |
imperative | — | tu | Lei | noi | voi | Loro |
dì', dì1,2 | dìca | diciàmo | dìte | dìcano | ||
negative imperative | non dìre | non dìca | non diciàmo | non dìte | non dìcano |
1With syntactic gemination after the verb.
2With written accent on monosyllabic verb.
Related terms[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Latin[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈdiː.re/, [ˈd̪iːrɛ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈdi.re/, [ˈd̪iːre]
Adjective[edit]
dīre
References[edit]
- “dire”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
Middle French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old French dire, from a contraction of Latin dīcere, present active infinitive of dīcō.
Verb[edit]
dire
- to say (express using language)
Descendants[edit]
- French: dire
Occitan[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old Occitan dir, dire, from a contraction of Latin dīcere, present active infinitive of dīcō.
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
dire
Conjugation[edit]
simple | compound | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | dire | aver dich | |||||
gerund | disent | use gerund of aver + past participle | |||||
past participle | dich | — | |||||
person | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | ieu | tu | el | nosautres | vosautres | eles | |
present | disi | dises | ditz | disèm | disètz | dison | |
imperfect | disiái | disiás | disiá | disiam | disiatz | disián | |
preterite | diguèri | diguères | diguèt | diguèrem | diguèretz | diguèron | |
future | dirai | diràs | dirà | direm | diretz | diràn | |
conditional | diriái | diriás | diriá | diriam | diriatz | dirián | |
conditional 2nd form1 | {{{49}}} | {{{50}}} | {{{51}}} | {{{52}}} | {{{53}}} | {{{54}}} | |
compound tenses |
present perfect | use the present tense of aver + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle | ||||||
past anterior | use the preterite tense of aver + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | use the future tense of aver + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | use the conditional tense of aver + past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que ieu | que tu | que el | que nosautres | que vosautres | que eles | |
present | diga | digas | diga | digam | digatz | digan | |
imperfect | diguèsse | diguèsses | diguèsse | diguèssem | diguèssetz | diguèsson | |
compound tenses |
past | use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle | ||||||
imperative | — | tu | — | nosautres | vosautres | — | |
diga | digam | digatz | 1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects | ||||
Old French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From a contraction of Latin dīcere, present active infinitive of dīcō.
Verb[edit]
dire
- (chiefly intransitive) to say
- (transitive) to recount (a story)
Conjugation[edit]
This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has irregularities in its conjugation. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
simple | compound | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | dire | avoir dit | |||||
gerund | en disant | Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
present participle | disant | ||||||
past participle | dit | ||||||
person | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
simple tenses |
present | di | dis | dit | dimes, dions, disons | dites | dient |
imperfect | disoie, diseie | disoies, diseies | disoit, diseit | disiiens, disiens | disiiez, disiez | disoient, diseient | |
preterite | dis | desis | dist | desimes | desistes | distrent | |
future | dirai | diras | dira | dirons | diroiz, direiz, direz | diront | |
conditional | diroie, direie | diroies, direies | diroit, direit | diriiens, diriens | diriiez, diriez | diroient, direient | |
compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
past anterior | Use the preterite tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que jo | que tu | qu’il | que nos | que vos | qu’il | |
simple tenses |
present | dïe | dïes | dïe | diiens, dions, disiens, disons | diiez, disiez | dïent |
imperfect | desisse | desisses | desist | desissons, desissiens | desissoiz, desissez, desissiez | desissent | |
compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
pluperfect | Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
— | di | — | dimes, dions, disons | dites | — |
Descendants[edit]
References[edit]
- “Appendix E: Irregular Verbs” in E. Einhorn (1974), Old French: A Concise Handbook, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 153
Old Occitan[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From a contraction of Latin dīcere, present active infinitive of dīcō.
Verb[edit]
dire
- to say
Descendants[edit]
- Occitan: dire
Walloon[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old French dire, from a contraction of Latin dīcō, dīcere.
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
dire
- to say
- English terms borrowed from Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/aɪə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/aɪə(ɹ)/1 syllable
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English informal terms
- Catalan 2-syllable words
- Catalan terms with IPA pronunciation
- Catalan lemmas
- Catalan verbs
- Northern Catalan
- Algherese Catalan
- French terms inherited from Middle French
- French terms derived from Middle French
- French terms inherited from Old French
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms inherited from Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French terms inherited from Proto-Italic
- French terms derived from Proto-Italic
- French terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- French terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- Rhymes:French/iʁ
- Rhymes:French/iʁ/1 syllable
- French lemmas
- French verbs
- French informal terms
- French terms with usage examples
- French third group verbs
- French irregular verbs
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French nominalized infinitives
- French non-affirmatively subjunctive-subordinating terms
- Italian terms inherited from Latin
- Italian terms derived from Latin
- Italian terms inherited from Proto-Italic
- Italian terms derived from Proto-Italic
- Italian terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Italian terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Italian 2-syllable words
- Italian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Italian terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Italian/ire
- Rhymes:Italian/ire/2 syllables
- Italian lemmas
- Italian verbs
- Italian verbs ending in -ere
- Italian irregular verbs
- Italian verbs with irregular present indicative
- Italian verbs with irregular imperative
- Italian verbs with irregular past historic
- Italian verbs with irregular past participle
- Italian verbs taking avere as auxiliary
- Italian transitive verbs
- Latin 2-syllable words
- Latin terms with IPA pronunciation
- Latin terms with Ecclesiastical IPA pronunciation
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- Middle French terms inherited from Old French
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- Middle French terms derived from Latin
- Middle French lemmas
- Middle French verbs
- Occitan terms inherited from Old Occitan
- Occitan terms derived from Old Occitan
- Occitan terms inherited from Latin
- Occitan terms derived from Latin
- Occitan terms with IPA pronunciation
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- Occitan lemmas
- Occitan verbs
- Occitan third group verbs
- Old French terms inherited from Latin
- Old French terms derived from Latin
- Old French lemmas
- Old French verbs
- Old French intransitive verbs
- Old French transitive verbs
- Old French verbs with strong-st preterite
- Old French third group verbs
- Old French verbs ending in -re
- Old French irregular verbs
- Old Occitan terms inherited from Latin
- Old Occitan terms derived from Latin
- Old Occitan lemmas
- Old Occitan verbs
- Walloon terms inherited from Old French
- Walloon terms derived from Old French
- Walloon terms inherited from Latin
- Walloon terms derived from Latin
- Walloon terms with IPA pronunciation
- Walloon lemmas
- Walloon verbs