lui dire

to tell him or her

→ lui
phrase Very common #897
to tell him or her Lui means “to him” or “to her” and refers to a singular person.
FR: Je vais lui dire la vérité.
EN: I am going to tell him or her the truth.

J'ai oublié de lui dire quelque chose.

I forgot to tell him/her something.

N'oubliez pas de lui dire.

Don't forget to tell him/her.

Bien, je vais lui dire, que vous êtes occupée.

Okay, I'll tell him that you're busy.

— Romance de bureau (1977)

Tu peux lui dire de la fermer ?

Can you tell her to shut up?

— Marty Supreme (2025)

Je n'avais pas le cœur de lui dire la vérité.

I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth.

Quand vas-tu lui dire ?

When are you going to tell him?

Il m'a fait jurer de ne pas lui dire.

He made me swear not to tell him.

Va lui dire de se préparer.

Go tell him to get ready.

Qu'allez-vous lui dire ?

What are you going to tell him?

Il est peut-être temps de lui dire.

Maybe it's time to tell him.

Tu aurais dû lui dire.

You should have told him.

Tu n'as pas besoin de lui dire.

You don't need to tell him.

— The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Qu'est-ce que tu veux lui dire ?

What do you want to tell him?

Va lui dire qu'on était là avant.

Go tell them we were here first.

— Marche à l'ombre (1984)

Au cas où il vienne, que devrais-je lui dire ?

If he comes, what should I tell him?

Tu peux lui dire.

You can tell him.

Que vais-je bien pouvoir lui dire ?

What on earth am I going to say to him?

Va lui dire ce que tu ressens.

Go tell him how you feel.

Tu peux lui dire maintenant quoi faire.

You can tell him what to do now.

— Avatar (2009)

Je dois lui dire quelque chose.

I have to tell him something.

Tu n'as rien à lui dire ?

You have nothing to say to him?

Tu as été lui dire !

You went and told him!

— Le Garde du corps (1961)

Je veux lui dire, que je suis désolé.

I want to tell him/her that I’m sorry.

— Sacrifices of War (2011)

Quelqu'un peut-il lui dire ?

Can someone tell him?

— The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)

Elle lui a écrit pour lui dire à quel point il était formidable.

She wrote to him to tell him how great he was.

Qu'as-tu à lui dire ?

What do you have to say to him?

— Amours chiennes (2000)

C'est à moi de lui dire.

It's up to me to tell him.

Eh bien, j'aurai un mot à lui dire.

Well, I'll have a word with him.

Si ça te va, je préfère ne rien lui dire.

If that's okay with you, I'd rather not say anything to him.

— Tout sur ma mère (1999)

Il faut lui dire ce qu'on sait !

We have to tell him what we know!

— Harry Potter et la Chambre des secrets (2002)

Quand doit-on lui dire ?

When should we tell him?

— Le Tao de Steve (2000)

Lui dire ?

Tell him?

Je ne peux pas lui dire ça.

I can't tell him that.

J'avais tant de choses à lui dire.

I had so much to tell him.

J'aurais pas à lui dire.

I wouldn’t have to tell him/her.

— La Vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2 (2013)

Et il est trop bête pour lui dire seulement merci.

And he’s too stupid to even say thank you to him.

— Les Invasions barbares (2003)

Si vous ne pouvez vivre sans lui il faut lui dire.

If you can’t live without him, you have to tell him.

— Nos années sauvages (1990)

Vous devez lui dire pour moi, Mme Bafané.

You must tell him for me, Mrs. Bafané.

— Benni (2019)

Elle ne savait pas quoi lui dire.

She didn't know what to say to him.

Non, il faut lui dire avant.

No, you have to tell him first.

Il y a très longtemps que je voulais lui dire.

I've wanted to tell him for a very long time.

— Suzhou River (2000)

Tu sais ce que tu vas lui dire ?

Do you know what you're going to tell him?

Tu n'aurais pas dû lui dire une telle chose.

You shouldn't have said such a thing to him.

J'ai essayé de lui dire.

I tried to tell him.

Je peux tout lui dire.

I can tell him anything.

Comment as-tu pu tout lui dire ?

How could you tell him everything?

— Mourir pour survivre (2018)

On doit lui dire.

We have to tell him.

Il y a tant de choses que je voulais lui dire.

There are so many things I wanted to tell him.

— Picnic (1955)

Je n'ai pas pu lui dire.

I couldn't tell him.

— La Mouche (1986)

Vas-tu lui dire, Kadzina ?

Are you going to tell him, Kadzina?

— Nuremberg (2025)

Isolation complète sans lui dire combien de temps il va passer ici.

Complete isolation without telling him how long he will be here.

— La Vie des autres (2006)

Qu'as-tu à lui dire, à Julieta ?

What do you have to say to Julieta?

— Amours chiennes (2000)

Nous devons lui dire.

We must tell him.

Je peux lui dire ?

Can I tell him?

Tu n'as qu'à lui dire.

You just have to tell him.

Mais il faut lui dire avant.

But you have to tell him first.

J'aurais dû lui dire.

I should have told him.

Je n'avais rien à lui dire.

I had nothing to say to him.

Tu veux lui dire bonjour ?

Do you want to say hello to him?

— Forrest Gump (1994)

Ou tu vas lui dire ce qu'on a fait ?

Or are you going to tell him what we did?

— Ne Zha 2 (2025)

Au retour d'A-Ho, je n'ai rien pu lui dire.

When A-Ho came back, I couldn't say anything to him.

— Un Soleil (2019)

En y repensant, j'ai pensé que c'était à vous de lui dire.

Thinking it over, I thought it was up to you to tell him.

— Adieu ma concubine (1993)

Je peux pas lui dire ça.

I can't tell him that.

Il n'écoute jamais ce que j'essaye de lui dire.

He never listens to what I try to tell him.

J'ai deux mots à lui dire.

I have two words to say to him.

Il ne faut plus jamais lui dire des choses aussi méchantes !

You must never say such mean things to him again!

— The Host (2006)

Qu'est-ce que tu viens de lui dire ?

What did you just say to him/her?

Donc vous devrez probablement lui dire qui vous êtes.

So you will probably have to tell him who you are.

— Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Pourquoi ne pas simplement lui dire non ?

Why not just tell him no?

C'est ce que je viens de lui dire.

That's what I just told him.

J'ai pas eu le courage de lui dire la vérité.

I didn't have the courage to tell him the truth.

— Une bataille après l'autre (2025)

Il voulait trouver une façon créative de lui dire qu'il l'aimait.

He wanted to find a creative way to tell her he loved her.

C'est cruel de sa part que de lui dire de telles choses.

It’s cruel of him to say such things to her.

Tu pourrais lui dire.

You could tell them.

— The Little Thief (1988)

Promets-moi de ne pas lui dire !

Promise me you won't tell them!

Quelqu'un doit lui dire.

Someone has to tell him.

J'aurais dû lui dire ça.

I should have told him that.

— The Mask (1994)

Tu voulais lui dire ce que tu ressentais, non ?

You wanted to tell him how you felt, right?

Va lui dire ça.

Go tell him that.

— Le Salaire de la peur (1953)

Faut bien lui dire.

You really have to tell him/her.

— Viens chez moi, j'habite chez une copine (1981)

Pourrais-tu lui dire quelque chose de favorable à mon sujet ?

Could you tell him something positive about me?

Lui dire quoi ?

What should I tell him?

— Aucun autre choix (2025)

Je voulais aider Tom à comprendre ce que Marie essayait de lui dire.

I wanted to help Tom understand what Mary was trying to tell him.

Qu'est-ce que je dois lui dire ?

What should I tell him?

Quelqu'un devrait lui parler et lui dire de quoi il retourne.

Someone should talk to him and tell him what’s going on.

Je dois lui dire.

I have to tell him.

Laisse-moi lui dire !

Let me tell him!

Elle m'a fait jurer de ne pas lui dire.

She made me swear not to tell her.

Je n'ai pas dit à Tom tout ce que Mary m'a demandé de lui dire.

I didn't tell Tom everything Mary asked me to tell him.

Elle n'a pas eu le courage de lui dire la vérité.

She didn't have the courage to tell him the truth.

Mais il ignorait comment l'aborder, que pouvait-il lui dire ?

But he didn’t know how to approach her—what could he say to her?

— Mirage (2018)

Tu dois lui dire ce que tu ressens.

You have to tell him how you feel.

Que dois-je lui dire ?

What should I tell him?

— Épouses et Concubines (1991)

Ce que vous avez à lui dire, dites-le-moi.

Tell me what you have to say to him.

— Séquences et conséquences (2000)

Qu'est-ce que je peux lui dire ?

What can I tell him?

Je viens de lui dire.

I just told him.

Allez lui dire bonjour.

Go say hello to him.

— La Nuit américaine (1973)

Père, peux-tu lui dire d'arrêter ?

Dad, can you tell him to stop?

— La Légende de Baahubali : 1ère Partie (2015)

Elle a pu lui dire et me le cacher pour le maintenir à l'écart.

She could have told him and hidden it from me to keep him away.

— L'Accusé (2017)

Que lui dire ?

What should I tell him?

Tu ne devrais pas lui dire de telles choses.

You shouldn't say such things to him.

— Princesse Mononoké (1997)

Que voulez-vous lui dire ?

What do you want to tell him/her?

— Scream 7 (2026)

Nous avons convenu de lui dire quand il sera assez grand pour se raser.

We agreed to tell him when he's old enough to shave.

— Aucun autre choix (2025)

Je lui ai parlé après la visite des fédéraux pour lui dire qu'on allait bien.

I spoke to him after the feds’ visit to tell him we were doing fine.

— À bout de course (1988)

Est-ce que vous allez lui dire ?

Are you going to tell him?

"Ce que je peux lui dire ?"

What can I tell him?

— New York Masala (2003)

Qu'est-ce que tu voulais lui dire ?

What did you want to tell him?

— Femmes au bord de la crise de nerfs (1988)

Je n'ose pas lui dire.

I don't dare tell him.

— Syndromes and a century (2006)

Que vais-je lui dire ?

What am I going to tell him?

Je n'ai pas envie de lui dire ça.

I don't feel like telling him that.

Pourrais-tu lui dire d'arrêter ?

Could you tell him/her to stop?

— Don Juan DeMarco (1994)

J'ai quelque chose à lui dire.

I have something to tell him.

Je ne sais toujours pas quoi en penser ou ce que je peux lui dire.

I still don't know what to think about it or what I can say to him.

— Les Enfants du temps (2019)

David, tu dois lui dire !

David, you have to tell him!

— Independence Day (1996)

Il y a quelque chose d'important qu'il me faut lui dire.

There’s something important I need to tell him/her.

Je n'ai pas eu le cœur de lui dire la vérité.

I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth.

Vous pouvez lui dire de me rappeler ?

Can you tell him to call me back?

— Oh Boy (2012)

Alors, voilà ce que vous allez lui dire.

So, here's what you're going to tell him.

— La Famille Tenenbaum (2001)

Qu'est-ce que tu vas lui dire ?

What are you going to tell him?

Qu'est-ce que je devrais lui dire ?

What should I tell him?

Tu veux lui dire ?

Do you want to tell him?

Va lui dire.

Go tell him.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Tu peux lui dire ce que tu veux.

You can tell him whatever you want.

Malheureusement, je ne peux pas lui dire.

Unfortunately, I can't tell him/her.

Va lui dire bonsoir, et je te retrouve où ?

Go say good evening to him, and where should I meet you?

N'oublie pas de lui dire.

Don’t forget to tell him/her.

Ce serait gentil de lui dire.

It would be nice to tell him.

Qu'est-ce que je suis censé lui dire ?

What am I supposed to tell him?

Je ne pouvais pas arriver à lui dire quelque chose.

I couldn't bring myself to say anything to him.

— Le Facteur (1994)

Qu'est-ce qu'on va lui dire ?

What are we going to tell him?

J'ai envie de lui dire ce que je pense de lui.

I feel like telling him what I think of him.

Alors tu vas lui dire ça, à Luciani.

So you're going to tell Luciani that.

— Un prophète (2009)

Est-ce que je peux lui dire ?

Can I tell him?

Tu peux tout lui dire, à mamie.

You can tell Grandma anything.

— Yi Yi (2000)

Yu Beipei, va lui dire de venir nous parler.

Yu Beipei, go tell him to come talk to us.

— Sous la chaleur du soleil (1994)

Allez lui dire vous-même.

Go tell him yourself.

— 2046 (2004)

Mais que vais-je lui dire ?

But what am I going to tell him?

Qu'est-ce que je pouvais lui dire ?

What could I say to him?

Comment lui dire non ?

How do I say no to him/her?

— Article 15 (2019)

J'arrête pas de lui dire.

I keep telling him.

Je n'ai pas encore trouvé le courage de lui dire.

I still haven't found the courage to tell him/her.

Qu'est-ce que je peux bien lui dire ?

What can I possibly say to him?

Je ne sais pas comment lui dire.

I don't know how to tell him.

— Zootopie 2 (2025)

Va lui dire qu'il faut qu'il remette le couvert chaque jour.

Go tell him he needs to do it again every day.

— Une grande fille (2019)

Vous allez lui dire ?

Are you going to tell him?

J'ai un truc à lui dire.

I have something to tell him.

— The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008)

Je ne manquerai pas de lui dire.

I will be sure to tell him.

Je dois lui dire ?

Should I tell him/her?

— Des étoiles sur la terre (2007)

Je n'ose pas lui dire une telle chose.

I don't dare tell him/her such a thing.

Tu dois lui dire.

You have to tell him.

Pas la peine de lui dire bonjour.

There's no point in saying hello to him.

— Departures (2008)

Que puis-je lui dire ?

What can I tell him?

— La petite Véra (1988)

Est-ce que tu vas lui dire ?

Are you going to tell him?

Tu devrais vraiment lui dire.

You should really tell him.

Nous devrions lui dire.

We should tell him.

C'est à toi de lui dire.

It's up to you to tell him.

Ton père arrive demain, que vais-je lui dire ?

Your father is arriving tomorrow, what am I going to tell him?

— Guerre et Paix (1968)

Je n'ai pas su lui dire combien je l'aimais.

I wasn't able to tell him how much I loved him.

Laisse-moi lui dire bonjour.

Let me say hello to him.

— Gangs of Wasseypur : 1ère partie (2012)

C'est exactement ce que j'allais lui dire.

That's exactly what I was going to say to him.

— De tout cœur (1998)

Je n'ai rien à lui dire.

I have nothing to say to him.

— The Wandering Earth (2019)

Que vas-tu lui dire ?

What are you going to tell him?

Je sais ce qu'il faut lui dire.

I know what to say to him.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

S'il venait, que devrais-je lui dire ?

If he came, what should I say to him?

Je suis allé lui dire bonjour dans sa loge.

I went to say hello to him in his dressing room.

— La Nuit américaine (1973)

Son père m'a dit de pas lui dire.

Her father told me not to tell her.

— Sympathy for Mister Vengeance (2002)

Il faut lui dire vos sentiments.

You need to tell them how you feel.

— Syndromes and a century (2006)

Puisqu'elle n'est pas au courant, on devrait lui dire ?

Since she doesn’t know, should we tell her?

— Yolo (2024)

Tu vas lui dire quoi ?

What are you going to tell him?

J'ai envie de lui dire quelque chose, mais quand elle arrive, je sèche.

I want to say something to her, but when she arrives, my mind goes blank.

— Dans ses yeux (2009)

Tu devrais lui parler et lui dire ce que tu ressens.

You should talk to him and tell him how you feel.

Lui dire quelque chose ?

Should I tell him something?

— Les Nouveaux Sauvages (2014)

Je n'avais pas besoin de lui dire.

I didn't need to tell him.

C'est toi qui vas lui dire !

You're the one who's going to tell them!

— Faute d'amour (2017)

Tu devrais lui dire.

You should tell him.

J'aimerais lui dire qu'on ne résout rien au téléphone.

I'd like to tell him/her that we don't resolve anything over the phone.

— Les Anges déchus (1995)

Avant j'osais pas lui dire, mais je lui ai expliqué des choses.

I didn't dare tell them before, but I explained some things to them.

— Happy Together (1997)

Pouvez-vous lui dire qu'on est là ?

Can you tell him/her that we're here?

— Oh Boy (2012)

Je vais voir Julie et je sais pas quoi lui dire.

I'm going to see Julie and I don't know what to say to her.

— La Nuit américaine (1973)

Tu ne peux pas lui dire ça directement.

You can't tell him that directly.

Personne n'a le courage de lui dire.

No one has the courage to tell him.

— Porn in the Hood (2012)

Je vais tout lui dire.

I'll tell him everything.

Je n'ai rien à lui dire !

I have nothing to say to him!

— Vivre (1952)

Pourquoi ne pas lui dire ?

Why not tell him/her?

— मुन्ना भाई एम बी बी एस (2003)

Tu peux lui dire, ça m'est égal.

You can tell him/her, I don't care.

J'ai dû lui dire.

I had to tell him.

Je pouvais pas lui dire où j'allais !

I couldn't tell him where I was going!

— Les Diaboliques (1955)

Vous devez au moins lui dire vous-même.

You should at least tell him yourself.

— Benni (2019)

Fallait pas tout lui dire.

You shouldn't have told him everything.

— Yi Yi (2000)

Qui va lui dire ?

Who's going to tell him?

— Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)

J'ai même écrit à Jenny pour lui dire.

I even wrote to Jenny to tell her.

— Forrest Gump (1994)

Elle lui écrivit pour lui dire combien il était merveilleux.

She wrote to him to tell him how wonderful he was.

Que devrais-je lui dire ?

What should I tell him?

Va lui dire qu'il ne peut pas le virer comme ça.

Go tell him he can't fire him like that.

— Toni Erdmann (2016)

Est-ce ce que je dois lui dire ?

Is that what I should tell him?

— Les Enfants du temps (2019)

Vous devez lui dire.

You have to tell him.

Tu vas lui dire quoi, Ariane ?

What are you going to tell him, Ariane?

— Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

Tu vas lui dire ?

Are you going to tell him?

— Do the Right Thing (1989)

Que peut-elle lui dire ?

What can she tell him?

Oui c'est ça, tu peux tout lui dire.

Yes, that's right, you can tell him/her everything.

— PIKU (2015)