Say vs Tell: The Difference

Quick Answer: Use tell when you name the person who hears the information: She told me the answer. Use say when you focus on the words, with no listener directly after the verb: She said hello. Say me is always wrong; to add the listener after say, use to: She said something to me.

Key takeaways

• Tell + person: tell me, tell him, tell the class.
• Say + words: say hello, say yes, say that you are busy.
• If you need the listener with say, add to: He said goodbye to us.
• Instructions use tell + person + to-infinitive: She told me to wait, not She said me to wait.
• Fixed phrases use tell even without a person: tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a joke, tell the time.
• Reported questions use ask, not say or tell: She asked where I lived.

The main rule

	Say	Tell
Focus	the words	the listener and the information
Person after the verb?	No	Yes, usually
Pattern	say something, say something to someone	tell someone something
Example	He said goodbye.	He told me a secret.

Say: no person directly after it

• She said hello.
• What did he say?
• I said that I was busy.
• She said something to me, but I didn't hear it.

Tell: a person comes next

• She told me the news.
• Tell him to call me.
• Can you tell us about your trip?
• I told my parents that I was moving.

Common mistakes

Wrong	Right
He said me the truth.	He told me the truth.
She told that she was tired.	She said that she was tired.
Say me your name.	Tell me your name.
Tell about your trip.	Tell us about your trip.
He said to me to wait.	He told me to wait.

The last one is important. For instructions and requests, use tell plus person plus to.

• The teacher told us to open our books.
• My doctor told me to rest.

You can also use ask for requests: She asked me to help her.

Fixed expressions with tell

Some expressions always use tell, even without a person.

• tell the truth
• tell a lie
• tell a story
• tell a joke
• tell the time
• tell the difference
• tell someone's fortune

Examples:

• Always tell the truth.
• My grandfather loves telling stories.
• Can you tell the difference between these two words?
• My little brother is learning to tell the time.

Tell can also mean know or recognize:

• I can't tell if she is happy or sad.
• You can tell he's tired.

Fixed expressions with say

• say hello, say goodbye
• say sorry
• say a prayer
• say yes, say no
• say something, say nothing
• say a few words

Examples:

• Did you say goodbye to your grandmother?
• She said sorry for being late.
• He didn't say a word all evening.

Useful phrases:

• Let's say we meet at six. (let's suppose)
• That is to say, we need more time. (in other words)
• You can say that again! (I completely agree)
• It goes without saying that safety comes first. (it is obvious)

Say and tell in reported speech

Both verbs are common in reported speech.

• Direct: "I'm hungry," Ali said.
• Reported: Ali said that he was hungry.
• Reported: Ali told me that he was hungry.

You can drop that in both: Ali said he was hungry.

For questions, use ask, not say or tell:

• Direct: "Where do you live?" she said.
• Reported: She asked me where I lived.

Learn more in reported speech basics.

What about speak and talk?

Two other verbs are close in meaning.

• Speak is more formal and used for languages and formal talks: She speaks three languages. He spoke at the conference.
• Talk is used for conversations: We talked for hours. Can I talk to you?

A note for Turkish speakers

Turkish speakers often translate söylemek directly, which leads to sentences like He said me the address. Remember that English splits this idea in two. When the Turkish sentence has a person in the dative case, like bana söyledi or ona söyle, English almost always needs tell: He told me, Tell her. When Turkish uses demek to quote words, as in Merhaba dedi, English uses say: She said hello.

• Bana adresini söyledi. He told me his address.
• Ona yarın geleceğimi söyle. Tell her I'll come tomorrow.
• Ne dedin? What did you say?

For more patterns like this, read English mistakes Turkish speakers make.

Quick memory trick

Think: tell has a target. You tell someone. Say does not need a target.

• tell + person
• say + words

Practice quiz

Choose say or tell in the correct form.

1. Can you ...... me the way to the station?
2. She ...... that she would be late.
3. Don't ...... lies.
4. What did you ...... to him?
5. He ...... us to wait outside.
6. I want to ...... thank you for your help.
7. Can you ...... the difference between ship and sheep?
8. She ...... goodbye and left.

Answers: 1 tell, 2 said, 3 tell, 4 say, 5 told, 6 say, 7 tell, 8 said.

Learn confusing words in context

Say and tell are part of a group of confusing pairs, together with make vs do, borrow and lend, and fun and funny. See more in 25 common English mistakes and how to fix them. To practice with instant feedback, start the free LearnLingo course.

People Also Ask

What is the difference between say and tell?

Say focuses on the words someone speaks, and it does not need a person after it. Tell focuses on giving information to someone, so it is usually followed by a person: tell me, tell her.

Can I say say me?

No. Say me is always wrong. Use tell me, or say something to me. For example, He told me the news, or He said something to me.

Do you say or tell a story?

You tell a story. Tell is also used in fixed expressions like tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a joke and tell the time.

Which is used in reported speech, say or tell?

Both. Use said when you do not mention the listener, She said she was tired, and told plus a person when you do, She told me she was tired.

Related Reading

• Reported Speech Basics
• 25 Common English Mistakes and How to Fix Them
• Make vs Do: Collocations Explained
• English Mistakes Turkish Speakers Make