Differences between “say” and “tell”: tips to avoid making the same mistake again

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One of the biggest problems when it comes to advancing in English studies is those words that have very similar meanings , but are not used in the same way. As we advance in our studies, it becomes necessary to perfect these details and know the distinctions. This happens, for example, with " much " and " many " , with " other " and " another " , and with the verbs " say " and " tell ".


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The differences
" Say " and " tell " are very similar verbs. They are both irregular belarus phone number list transitive, and they both mean almost the same thing: "to express a message." But they have several very important differences :

" Say " tends to focus more on the words being said, and " tell " more on the content of the message:

"I do not agree with your proposal , Stephen," she said .
She told me she did not agree with my proposal .
« Tell » usually has an indirect object, although not always. « Say » cannot have an indirect object unless it is with the preposition « to », and in these cases it sounds unnatural, and it is preferable to use « tell »:

She told me she was going to have a baby .
"I am going to have a baby," she said to me . (Unnatural).
« Tell » is used for orders and instructions. In this case, « say » is only used in colloquial speech:

They told me not to go out after dark.
I can't go! My parents said not to go out after dark . — ¡ No puedo ir! Mis padres me dijo que no salir después del anochecer ( very colloquial use , not used in written English).


Reported speech
Both verbs are essential in reported speech . They are the two basic reporting verbs , and the most common. It is important to learn other verbs to use in reported speech, but also to distinguish between these two. How can you remember when to use each one? Very simple, whenever the verb is used alone , use “ say ”.