dire at C2 — literary & formal
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Contracts, attributions and careful reformulation.
Dire on the page
Legal French welds the article to the participle: « ledit contrat », « ladite société », « lesdites parties » — the aforesaid, already named above. You will never say it aloud, but you will meet it in every lease and judgment. Note the agreement: « ladite clause », « lesdits documents ». Its cousin « susmentionné » does the same work in administrative letters.
Journalists reach for the noun: « selon ses dires » attributes a claim without endorsing it. The prefixed cousins are everywhere, but the register sits on the collocation, not the verb: « prédire un effondrement » and « interdire un rassemblement » are press French, while « c’est interdit » is what every parent says. Only « contredire » leans clearly towards writing. « Autrement dit » reformulates without adding anything.
💡 Focus at this level: Formal — ledit, selon ses dires, contredire
👨🏫 How to use « dire » at this level
1. « Ledit », « ladite » = the aforesaid. Contracts and judgments.
2. « Selon ses dires » = by his own account. Journalists keep their distance.
3. « Contredire » = to contradict. The prefixed cousin that leans towards writing.
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
Which belongs in a contract: « ce contrat » or « ledit contrat » ?
Show answer
« Ledit contrat » — it points back to a contract already named, and only legal French uses it.
A journalist reports a claim he cannot verify. Which phrase keeps his distance?
Show answer
« Selon ses dires » — it attributes the statement to the speaker without endorsing it.
🎮 Practise this level
🧩 Sentence builder put the words in the right order