Say vs tell: when is each used for?

If you have already started studying English for some time, it is most likely that you have already come across certain words that are easy to confuse with others. This happens sometimes because in Spanish only one word is used for two similar concepts in English, sometimes because they are very similar, and sometimes because of how they are used. We must bear in mind that English is full of trap words that can easily make you wrong when using them.

In this article, we bring you the case of say vs tell, as much as the two look alike, they are not equivalent. Do you know when each one is used? We are going to tell you. And, what Examenexam can always tell you are all the available and existing calls, take a look!

Rules for using say or tell

In Spanish we can translate “say” or “tell” as “decir”, but in English, these verbs are used in different ways. There are rules that indicate the use of one or the other, although in general we use “say” to “say something” and “tell” to “say something to someone.”

Say

Say means “decir”. The most common use of the word says is in indirect speech. Reported speech is when you are repeating what someone has said. When we speak indirectly, we often make statements and it is not necessary to add the object. The object is what the action receives in the sentence, for example:

• He said he was going to be late.

Dijo que iba a llegar tarde.

• What did he say?

¿Que dijo el?

• When he said he was leaving, we all got really sad.

Cuando dijo que se iba, todos nos pusimos muy tristes.

In these examples, you will notice that we have not used any objects. When we use “say” generally, the recipient of the action is not as important as what we have to say.

Prepositions for Say

To / That (Para / Eso): if we are to use an object, always use the preposition to (a), for example:

• He said to Steve that he was going to be late.

Le dijo a Steve que iba a llegar tarde.

• I said to him that I couldn’t go.

Le dije que no podía ir.

We use to (para) to show to whom we are addressing our words and that (eso) to say the information.

Tell

Compared to say, when we use to say we need to use the object. This is because when tell is used, who received the information is more important than the information itself. For instance:

• I told you about the party.

Te hablé de la fiesta

• Have you told him the news?

¿Le has contado la noticia?

• She always tells me that.

Ella siempre me dice eso.

People are often heard saying: She tells what to do. (Ella dice qué hacer). This would be wrong because we need to use the object. The correct way would be “she tells me what to do (Ella me dice qué hacer)”.

The main differences

Say is used to count the words that someone has used, using what someone has said, it is used to quote, say something. Instead, tell is used to say who they were talking about. With which, tell is almost always followed by a person, tell someone.

 Say and tell are very similar. Both words are verbs:

• Irregular therefore do not conjugate with –ed.
• Transitive, in your case both accept the direct object.

Having a similar meaning: both can be translated as “say” or, more generally, “convey a message.”

But they have some differences in form and use:

• To say is the impersonal verb to mention that is used to say something in general and not to say to someone specific. Say refers to the mere act of opening your mouth to say something, even if no one is listening, therefore, there does not need to be a recipient in the sentence. It is very common to use this verb when speaking indirectly (reported speech).
• To tell is the personal verb “to say” that is used to say something to someone when it is specified to whom something is said when it is meant to tell me, tell you, tell, tell us, tell you, tell them, etc. In other words, the recipient of the action of the verb needs to be accompanied. Its structure is: tell + somebody + something.

In addition to its usual use, there are also collocations with the verb Tell, therefore expressions that are always used with this verb.

• Tell the truth.

Decir la verdad.

• Tell a lie

Contar una mentira.

• Tell a joke.

Contar un chiste.

• Tell a story.

Contar una historia.

• Tell the time.

Decir la hora.

For its part, say is specified in the act of opening your mouth to say something, even if no one is listening, therefore, it is not necessary that there be a recipient in the sentence.

Conclusion

In summary, we can say that in Spanish we can translate “say” or “tell” as “decir”, but in English, these verbs are used in different ways. There are some rules that indicate the use of one or the other in English, although in general we use “say” to “say something” and “tell” to “say something to someone.”

We hope that your doubts about the use and differences between these two verbs have been clarified with this article, that has been our objective when writing it.