decía

Decía is the imperfect tense form of the Spanish verb decir (to say). It expresses past actions that were ongoing or habitual, and it is widely used to report speech in the past as indirect discourse. For example, in indirect speech, decía introduces a clause that conveys what someone said previously, such as María decía que venía mañana.

Etymology and conjugation notes: decir comes from Latin dicere. Decía is the first person singular and third person singular imperfect forms, depending on the subject (yo decía, él/ella decía). It shares the same stem with other imperfect forms like decías, decía, decíamos, decíais, decían, and is commonly contrasted with the preterite decir (dije, dijo) for completed past actions.

Usage considerations: decía can indicate repeated or habitual past statements or describe a continuing past narration. It often appears with que to report what was said, or without direct quotation marks when the exact words are not quoted. The nuance differs from decir in the preterite (dijo), which usually marks a completed past act of saying. Decía can also express skepticism or a transitional narrative tone in literature.

Examples:

- El profesor decía que el examen sería fácil. (The teacher said the exam would be easy.)

- Decía la verdad, aunque todos dudaban. (He/she was telling the truth, though everyone doubted.)

- María decía que vendría mañana. (María said that she would come tomorrow.)

- Cuando era niño, decía que quería ser astronauta. (When I/they were a child, I used to say I wanted to be an astronaut.)

See also: decir, conjugation of decir, indirect speech in Spanish.