Italian Phrase
Di' quando è successo.
Meaning
Literally, ‘Tell (me) when it happened.’ The speaker is asking the listener to give the exact moment an event took place. It’s a direct, informal request for a time reference.
When to use
Use this phrase in informal conversations with friends, family, or peers when you need a quick answer about the timing of something that already occurred. It’s too casual for formal settings or written communication.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Di'quandoèsuccesso
Imperative of dire (informal)
‘Di'’ is the colloquial, elided form of the second‑person singular imperative ‘dì’, used in casual speech.
Passato prossimo with essere
‘è successo’ is the present perfect of ‘succedere’, formed with the auxiliary ‘essere’ and the past participle ‘successo’.
Temporal clause with ‘quando’
‘quando’ introduces a subordinate clause that indicates the time of the action.
🗨In Conversation
Di' quando è successo.
Tell me when it happened.
È successo ieri sera, verso le otto.
It happened last night, around eight.
✕Common Mistakes
Dì quando è successo.
‘Dì’ with a grave accent is the formal imperative; using it in a casual setting sounds stiff.
Di' quando è succeduto.
The correct past participle of ‘succedere’ is ‘successo’, not ‘succeduto’.
Di' quando ha succeduto.
Mixing the auxiliary ‘avere’ with ‘succedere’ is incorrect; it always uses ‘essere’.
↔Alternatives
Mi racconti quando è successo.
Tell me when it happened.
Puoi dirmi quando è successo?
Can you tell me when it happened?
Quando è successo, dimmi.
When it happened, tell me.
Cultural Tip
‘Di'’ (with an apostrophe) is a spoken shortcut for ‘dì’, the informal imperative of ‘dire’. It’s common in everyday Italian, especially among younger speakers, but you should avoid it in formal contexts or when speaking to strangers, where the full form ‘Dì’ or a more polite construction like ‘Mi può dire…’ is preferred.