Say or tell? « He told me », not « he said me »

La règle

Tell is followed by a person: tell me, tell him the truth, tell Sara a story. Say is followed by the words, not the person: say hello, say something. To add the person after say, use to: She said something to me.

L'arabe قال لي et le français il m'a dit placent la personne juste après le verbe, donc les apprenants disent He said me. En anglais, seul tell fonctionne ainsi : He told me.

Exemples

Dans une conversation

A: What did the manager say?

B: He told us the meeting is on Monday.

A: Did he say anything about the new office?

B: No, he didn't tell us anything else.

Entraînement

Choisissez la bonne réponse. Les réponses sont à la fin de la leçon.

1. My boss ___ me to finish the report today.
   • a) said
   • b) told
   • c) say
2. What did you ___ to him?
   • a) say
   • b) tell
   • c) said
3. Please don't ___ anyone about the party. It's a surprise!
   • a) say
   • b) say to
   • c) tell

Astuce

Certaines expressions figées prennent tell sans personne : tell the truth, tell a lie, tell the time, tell a story. Et avec les exacts mots de quelqu'un, utilisez say : « I'm late, » she said.

Réponses

1. b) told. A person follows, so use told.
2. a) say. Say + to + person, and the base verb after did.
3. c) tell. Tell takes the person directly: tell anyone.

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