decirla

Decirla is a Spanish verb phrase formed by the verb decir plus the feminine direct object pronoun la. It commonly means to say it or to tell it, with la referring to a feminine noun previously mentioned (for example, la verdad, la noticia, la respuesta). The construction is used when the speaker wants to avoid repeating the noun that is being spoken about.

Grammatical note: decirla is an infinitive form, and it can be combined with other verbs to form periphrastic constructions, such as voy a decirla (I am going to say it) or quiero decirla (I want to say it). When a recipient is specified, Spanish often expands the pronoun cluster, yielding forms like decirsela or decírsela, where la is the thing said and se stands for the indirect object (to her, to him, to you). The indirect pronoun le becomes se to avoid le la sequences in most third-person combinations, producing sequences such as dísela (tell it to her) or dírselo (tell it to him).

Usage notes: decirla is most common when the feminine object is clear from context. In contrast, for “to tell someone something,” Spanish typically uses decirle algo or decírselo, depending on which noun is direct and which is indirect. The specific pronoun arrangement (la, le, se) varies with tense, mood, and person, but the basic idea remains: decirla = say it, with extensions to indicate to whom.

Related forms include decirla a alguien (to tell it to someone), decirla ya (say it now), and the corresponding clipped imperatives such as dísela (tell it to her).