dixerunt

Dixerunt is the third-person plural perfect active indicative form of the Latin verb dicere, meaning “to say” or “to speak.” It translates most commonly as “they said” and functions as a completed past action in narrative or reported speech. The form is built from the perfect stem dix- with the ending -erunt for the third person plural.

Formation and variant forms: The standard perfect plural ending for -ere verbs is -erunt, yielding dixerunt. Some authors also write the form as dixērunt with a long e; both spellings reflect the same pronunciation and function. Dixerunt is therefore the natural past-tense vehicle for a plural subject in contexts where a verb of saying is required.

Usage: In Classical Latin, dixerunt is frequently used to attribute speech, report statements, or convey what a group claimed. It commonly appears in historical narratives, speeches, and philosophical or rhetorical passages. As with other perfect forms of dicere, its temporal reference is to a completed past event, though Latin often renders past time in a way that can align with English present perfect depending on context.

Example: Latin: Dixerunt se venisse. Translation: They said that they had come. Another simple usage: Dixerunt, “Veni, vidi, vici.” Translation: They said, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Related forms include dixit (he said) and dixērunt (alternative spelling of they said in some authors), illustrating the verb’s conjugation within a single paradigm.