DIRE, PARLARE, RACCONTARE: What’s the difference between these Italian verbs? (FREE PDF 📚)

Devo dire una cosa! Wait, or should I say Devo parlare una cosa? Ah, classic Italian dilemma! Figuring out the difference between “dire” and “parlare” can be tricky. And to complicate things, there’s also “raccontare”! It’s normal to get a little confused by these verbs — they’re all about communication, but each one has its own specific meaning and context. And since they are some of the most common verbs in everyday Italian, it’s important to understand how they work.

The good news? By the end of this guide, you’ll not only understand the difference but also feel more confident using them! I’ll walk you through their meanings and show you how to apply them with real-life examples. I’ll also share some handy expressions and idioms to make your Italian sound more natural and fluent. Pronti? Iniziamo! (Ready? Let’s get started!)

But first, make sure to download your free PDF cheat-sheet, which includes all the key points we’ll cover in this guide. Just enter your email below and I’ll send it to you straight away.

Table to Contents

Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide. Click on any title to jump to each section.

How to use “dire” in Italian
Common phrases and idioms with “dire”
How to use “parlare” in Italian
Common phrases and idioms with “parlare”
How to use “raccontare” in Italian
Common phrases and idioms with “raccontare”
When to use “Dire”, “Parlare”, and “Raccontare”

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How to use “dire” in Italian

The verb dire means “to say” or “to tell” and it’s all about expressing something using words. So, the focus is on communicating something specific — whether an opinion, a fact, or passing along someone else’s words.

Grammatically speaking, dire is an irregular verb, because it changes its root in most tenses, from the simple present to the imperfetto and passato prossimo. For example, its past participle is detto (not dito like you might expect!).

Also, because the focus is on the content being communicated, dire is typically followed by a direct object, for example: Dico sempre la verità (I always tell the truth). To add the person who’s receiving the information, you will need either their name or an indirect object pronoun. So the same phrase would become Ti dico sempre la verità (I always tell you the truth).

Now let’s see the main contexts where you can use dire in Italian:

To communicate something:

Claudio dice sempre cose interessanti – Claudio always says interesting things.
Ho detto ciao, ma non mi ha guardata! – I said hello, but he didn’t look at me!

To express an opinion, typically followed by the preposition di (of):

Io dico di prenotare, non si sa mai! – I say we should book, you never know!
Cosa dici di questa borsa? – What do you think of this bag?

To report what someone else has said (the so-called indirect speech). In this case, it’s always followed by che (that):

Sara dice che qui si mangia molto bene – Sara says that the food here is very good.
Hanno detto che pioverà – They said it will rain.

To talk about the meaning of something, like explaining what a word or phrase means (as a synonym for “to mean”):

Cosa vuol dire questa frase? – What does this sentence mean?
Questa parola vuole dire “home” – This word means “home.”

To express general opinions or widely known facts (impersonal use). In this case, it’s usually followed by the subjunctive:

Si dice che sia molto bravo – They say he’s very good.

Non si dicono le parolacce! – You don’t say bad words!

Common phrases and idioms with “dire”

Dire is used in lots of common expressions and idioms that Italians use all the time in everyday conversations. Here are a few of the most popular ones:

Phrases and idioms with “dire” in Italian
Italian	English
Dire le cose in faccia	To say things to someone’s face
Dire cavolate (colloquial)	To talk nonsense
Dire chiaro e tondo	To say something clearly
Dire di sì	To say yes
Dire di no	To say no
Dire la propria	To speak one’s mind
Dire la verità	To tell the truth
Dire una bugia	To tell a lie
Dire sul serio	To be serious / To mean it
Dire tanto per dire	To talk just for the sake of talking
Dire fra i denti	To mutter something under one’s breath
Dirne quattro	To give someone a piece of your mind
Dici davvero?	Are you serious?
Dimmi pure / Dica pure (polite)	Go ahead
Devo dire che…	I must say that…
Cosa vuoi dire? / Cosa vuol dire?	What do you mean? / What does it mean?
Cosa vuoi che ti dica?	What do you want me to say?
Come si dice…?	How do you say…?
Come si suol dire / Come si dice	As they say
Che si dice?	What’s up?
Che ne dici?	What do you think about it?
C’è poco da dire	There’s not much to say about it
Che dir si voglia	Call it what you will
A dirla tutta	To be honest
E dire che…	And to think that…
E dici poco!	And that’s no small thing!
Il che è tutto dire	That says it all / That explains everything
Non mi dire!	You don’t say!
Non vuol dire che…	That doesn’t mean that…
Non c’è che dire	There’s no denying it
Non dirlo a me	Tell me about it
Vorrà dire che…	It will mean that…
Si fa per dire	Just saying
Vale a dire	That is to say / In other words
Per così dire	So to speak
Puoi dirlo forte! / Puoi ben dirlo!	You can say that loudly!
Tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare	Easier said than done (lit. There is the sea between what is said and what is done)

How to use “parlare” in Italian

Parlare means “to speak” or “to talk” and refers to the act of talking and how people communicate —not necessarily what’s being said.

From a grammar point of view, parlare is a regular verb, which means it follows the usual patterns for -are verbs. Just keep in mind that, since parlare is about the act of speaking rather than the content, it doesn’t usually take a direct object, unless you’re talking about languages. Here are the common ways to use parlare in Italian:

To refer to the process of speaking:

Odio parlare in pubblico! – I hate speaking in public!
A che età ha cominciato a parlare tuo figlio? – At what age did your son start talking?

To discuss the ability to speak a particular language (this is the exception to the “no direct object” rule):

Simona parla tre lingue – Simona speaks three languages.
Quante lingue parlate? – How many languages do you speak?

To describe how someone speaks:

Parla ad alta voce, non ti sentiamo – Speak louder, we can’t hear you.
Quell’attore non mi piace, parla in modo volgare – I don’t like that actor, he speaks vulgarly.

To express the idea of having a conversation with someone. In this case, it’s often paired with the preposition con (with):

Laura non vuole parlare con voi – Laura doesn’t want to talk with you.
Mi ascolti? Sto parlando con te! – Are you listening? I’m talking to you!

When paired with the preposition a (to), it means to give information to someone:

Parlerò alle ragazze, sono sicura che capiranno – I’ll talk to the girls, I’m sure they’ll understand.
Il direttore ha parlato ai dipendenti – The director spoke to the employees.

With the preposition di (of/about), it focuses on the subject of the conversation:

Mio fratello parla solo di calcio – My brother only talks about football.
Luca ha parlato di te tutta la sera – Luca talked about you all night.

When used with the preposition per (for), it’s used to express something personal or speaking on someone’s behalf:

Io parlo per me – I speak for myself.
Parla per te! – Speak for yourself!
Penso di parlare a nome di tutti i genitori quando chiedo più supervisione a scuola – I think I speak on behalf of all parents when I ask for more supervision at school.

You’ll also hear parlare a lot in phone conversations:

Parlo con il Signor Bianchi? – Am I speaking with Mr. Bianchi?
Posso parlare con… – May I speak with…?

The difference between ‘parlare’ and ‘dire’

When in doubt between parlare and dire, here’s a simple rule:

If you’re focused on the act of speaking or the ability to communicate, use parlare.
If the focus is on the actual content or information being shared, go with dire.

For example: Ho parlato con la segretaria e mi ha detto che c’è posto la prossima settimana – I spoke with the secretary, and she told me there’s availability next week. See the difference? In the first part, parlare is about the conversation with the secretary (focus on the act of talking). But when the secretary shares the information, we use dire to focus on what was said.

Common phrases and idioms with “parlare”

Many everyday Italian expressions and idioms are built around the verb parlare. Here are some of the most interesting:

Phrases and idioms with “parlare” in Italian
Italian	English
Parlare a braccio	To speak without preparation
Parlare a gesti	To gesture
Parlare a quattr’occhi	To speak to someone privately
Parlare a raffica	To talk non-stop
Parlare a vanvera	To talk nonsense
Parlare chiaro	To speak clearly
Parlare con il cuore in mano	To speak from the heart
Parlare turco/arabo	To speak in a way that’s hard to understand (like saying “it’s all Greek to me”)
Parlare tra sé e sé	To talk to oneself
Parlare alle spalle	To talk behind someone’s back
Parlare a voce alta / ad alta voce	To speak loudly
Parlare a voce bassa / a bassa voce	To speak softly
Parlare al telefono	To talk on the phone
Parlare del nulla	To talk about nothing
Parlare bene o male di qualcuno	To speak well or badly of someone
Parlare del più e del meno	To talk about everything and anything (casual chit-chat)
Parlare con cognizione di causa	To speak with full knowledge of the facts
Parlare come un libro stampato	To sound like you’ve swallowed a dictionary
Questo sì che è parlare!	Now we’re talking!
Purché se ne parli!	Any publicity is good publicity.
Parli del diavolo (e spuntano le corna(	To speak of the devil (and he shall appear)

How to use “raccontare” in Italian

Raccontare translates to “to recount” or “to narrate” in English. It’s the verb you’d use when you’re sharing a story—whether it’s a funny little anecdote, explaining something that happened, or just giving someone the details of what happened. It’s kind of like putting on your storyteller hat!

Here’s how raccontare is used in different contexts:

To report facts or share news:

Ti ho raccontato della festa? – Did I tell you about the party?
Alessio ha raccontato tutto a Sabrina – Alessio told Sabrina everything.

To narrate something in detail, like a story or an event:

Ogni sera suo padre le racconta una favola – Every night, her father tells her a story.
Quando mi racconti le tue ultime avventure di viaggio? – When are you going to tell me about your latest travel adventures?

To talk about the plot of a book or movie:

La serie TV racconta la vita di Giacomo Leopardi – The TV series narrates the life of Giacomo Leopardi.
Il libro racconta la saga della famiglia Florio – The book tells the story of the Florio family.

When used reflexively, raccontarsi means to share or present yourself—usually through personal stories:

L’attrice si è raccontata in una bella intervista – The actress shared her story in a lovely interview.
In questo documentario, l’azienda si racconta attraverso le parole dei suoi dipendenti – In this documentary, the company shares its story through the words of its employees.

Common phrases and idioms with “raccontare”

Raccontare appears in a number of phrases and idiomatic expressions you0ll hear a lot in everyday Italian:

Phrases and idioms with “raccontare” in Italian
Italian	English
Raccontare una favola	To tell a story
Raccontare frottole	To tell lies
Raccontare i fatti propri	To share personal things (often oversharing)
Raccontarne delle belle	To tell all sorts of things
Raccontarne di tutti i colori	To tell all sorts of things (lit. To tell of all the colours)
Raccontarne di cotte e di crude	To tell all sorts of things (lit. To tell about cooked and raw things)
Raccontare per filo e per segno	To recount something in great detail (lit. To recount by thread by sign)
A me le vieni a raccontare?	Are you trying to fool me? / You expect me to believe that?
Raccontarla giusta	To tell truthfully
Non raccontarla giusta	To not tell the full truth
È una storia che vale la pena raccontare	It’s a story worth telling
Poterla raccontare	To live to tell the tale

When to use “Dire”, “Parlare”, and “Raccontare”

So, remember: dire focuses on directly conveying words or information (like “to say” or “to tell”), parlare is all about speaking or having a conversation (like “to speak” or “to talk”), and raccontare is used when telling a story or recounting something in detail (like “to recount” or “to narrate”). Keep practicing and paying attention to how they’re used, and soon you’ll be switching between them effortlessly!

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Italian Verbs - Dire, Parlare, Raccontare - What is the difference

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