Dit-il (en. He said)

/di il/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

noun

Form used to report the words of another person.

He said, said he, that everything would be fine.

Il a dit, dit-il, que tout irait bien.

Often indicates uncertainty or disbelief about what has been said.

She said, said he, that he would come, but I'm not sure about that.

Elle a dit, dit-il, qu'il allait venir, mais je n'en suis pas sûr.

Used to give an appearance of seriousness or formality to a quotation.

The professor said, said he, that more study was needed.

Le professeur a dit, dit-il, qu'il fallait étudier davantage.

Of French origin, composed of 'dit' (form of the verb dire) and 'il' (personal pronoun).

said he was right

Expresses an assertion that is assumed to be correct.

dit-il vrai

does he say it seriously

Indicates that the person may have said something serious.

le dit-il sérieusement

who told him

Questions the source of reported information.

qui lui a dit

to say

Expressing a statement or opinion.

dire

to declare

Announcing or making public a fact.

déclarer

to assert

Expressing an opinion categorically.

affirmer

To mark skepticism towards a statement.

He said he was rich, said he, but who really believes that?

Il a dit qu'il était riche, dit-il, mais qui le croit vraiment ?

To report rumors or gossip.

She said she was going out with him, said he.

Elle a dit qu'elle sortait avec lui, dit-il.