📖LearnModule 7 · Lesson 20 of 30Independent User · CEFR B1, completedUnit 4 · Contar lo que dicen
Dice que + subjuntivo — passing on an order
Module 7 of the free Spanish course (CEFR B1, completed), lesson 20 of 30: An order becomes reported speech with que plus the SUBJUNCTIVE, the mood of will, doing exactly its job. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's QR.
The words
Spanish
English
Say it
me dice que espere
he tells me to wait
meh DEE-seh keh ehs-PEH-reh
que no salgas
that you not leave
keh noh SAHL-gahs
la orden
the order (command)
lah OHR-dehn
prohibir
to forbid
proh-ee-BEER
permitir
to allow
pehr-mee-TEER
obedecer
to obey
oh-beh-deh-SEHR
la instrucción
the instructions
lah eens-trook-SYOHN
esperar un momento
to wait a moment
ehs-peh-RAR oon moh-MEHN-toh
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
La regla · The rule
An order becomes reported speech with que plus the SUBJUNCTIVE — the mood of will, doing exactly its job. «¡Espera!» becomes me dice que espere. «No salgas» becomes me dice que no salga. Same decir, but the que now carries an instruction, so the verb bends.
Y también · And also
Compare the two: me dice que espera (he tells me that he is waiting — a fact, indicative) against me dice que espere (he tells me to wait — an order, subjunctive). One letter, two different sentences. Prohibir and permitir work the same way: me prohíbe que salga.
Ojo · Watch out
An order is reported with que + subjunctive: me dice que espere. A fact keeps the indicative: me dice que espera. The mood is the whole difference between telling me TO wait and telling me he IS waiting.
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the Spanish spelling alone — begin with me dice que espere.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the Spanish.
Write two sentences of your own that get the watch-out line right, then the two practice pages of workbook lesson 20 in Module 7 are the written half of this page.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The Spanish Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.