Say vs. Tell

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When do you use “say” and “tell” in everyday English?

Hey everyone! Today we’re going to talk about something that often confuses English learners - the difference between “say” and “tell.” I know many of your languages might use just one word for both, but in English, we need to know when to use each one. Don’t worry - after this lesson, you’ll feel much more confident!

The easiest way to remember the difference is this: we “tell” someone something, but we just “say” something.

Let me show you with everyday situations

Imagine you’re in class:

• Your teacher tells you to open your book
• Your friend says “hello” when you walk in
• Your classmate tells me she can’t come tomorrow
• You say “thank you” after getting help

Think about phone conversations:

• Your mom tells you to come home early
• You say “okay”
• Your friend tells everyone about their weekend
• You say “goodbye” before hanging up

Here’s the key thing to remember

“tell” needs a person - who are you telling? But “say” doesn’t need this.

Some examples:

✓ “My mother told me to study hard”

✗ “My mother said me to study hard” (incorrect!)

✓ “My mother said I should study hard”

✓ “The teacher told the class to be quiet”

✓ “The teacher said, ‘Please be quiet’”

A fun way to practice

Next time you’re watching English movies or YouTube videos, try to notice when characters use “say” and when they use “tell.” You’ll start seeing the pattern!

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Don’t say: “He said me the answer”
• Instead say: “He told me the answer” or “He said the answer”
• Don’t say: “Can you tell ‘hello’ to her?”
• Instead say: “Can you say ‘hello’ to her?”

Remember

If you’re directly quoting someone’s words, use “say”:

“My friend said, ‘I love this movie!’”
Not: “My friend told, ‘I love this movie!’”

Fun example

🥊 SAY vs TELL 🥊
What is the difference, and when should you use them?

The main difference:

"Say" is about the words themselves → You SAY something

"Tell" is about communicating information to someone → You TELL someone something

✨ Quick examples:

"Say":
He said "hello"… pic.twitter.com/SdI9qTErc4

— Luis English Tutor (@LuisEngTutor) December 28, 2024

Exception

I just told you that we “tell someone something” but we just “say something”? Well, there’s a small twist that often confuses English learners - sometimes we can “say something to someone”!

Let me explain when this works.

You can use “say” with “to” when:

1. You’re describing who you’re directing your words to
2. You’re usually quoting the exact words

Let’s look at some everyday examples:

At school:

• I said “thank you” to my teacher
• He said “I’m sorry” to his friend
• She said “goodbye” to everyone

At home:

• I said “I love you” to my mom
• My brother said “good morning” to the family
• Dad said “be careful” to me before I left

BUT remember - when you’re not using the exact words, it’s better to use “tell”:

✓ “I told my teacher about my homework”

Not: “I said about my homework to my teacher”

Here’s a simple trick:

• If you can put the words in quotation marks (“…”), you can say them to someone
• If you’re just describing what was communicated, use tell

More examples

✓ “She said ‘congratulations’ to me”

✓ “She told me congratulations” (Both are correct!)

✓ “He said ‘the meeting is at 2’ to the team”

✓ “He told the team the meeting is at 2” (Both work!)

But be careful:

✗ “He said to me that he was tired” (This sounds awkward)

✓ “He told me that he was tired” (This is better!)

Think of it this way - “say to” is like delivering a message in a package (the exact words), while “tell” is like explaining or delivering information in your own way!

I hope this helps make the difference clearer!
What situations do you find most confusing with “say” and “tell”?
Let me know in the comments!