Say or Tell?
Say and tell have similar meanings. They both mean to communicate verbally with someone. But we often use them in different ways,The simple way to think of say and tell is:
- You say something
- You tell someone something
|
You say something |
You tell someone something |
|
Manuel said that he was sick. |
Manuel told Jessica that he was Sick. |
|
Carlos says you have a new car. |
Carlos tells me you have a new car. |
|
Sara said: “I love you.” |
Sara told Rick that she loved him. |
But, of course, it is not always so easy. Here are a few rules to help you.
Personal object
We usually follow tell with a personal object (the person that we are speaking to). We usually use say without a personal object:
- She told me that she loved John.
- She said that she loved John.
- He told everybody that he had to leave.
- He said that he had to leave.
Say “to someone”
With say, we sometimes use “to someone”:
- He said to me that he was tired.
- Sara said to Ram that he had done very well.
- Anthony said to her, “I hope you come soon.”
- “I’d like to sleep,” she said to him quietly.