Say or tell? “He told me”, not “he said me”

The rule

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.

Arabic قال لي and French il m'a dit put the person right after the verb, so learners say He said me. In English, only tell works that way: He told me.

Examples

In a 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.

Practice

Choose the best answer. The answers are at the end of the lesson.

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

Tip

Some fixed phrases take tell with no person: tell the truth, tell a lie, tell the time, tell a story. And with someone's exact words, use say: “I'm late,” she said.

Answers

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.

• ← Day 43: Make or do? Make a mistake, do your homework
• All 60 lessons
• Day 45: Turn it off, look for it: everyday phrasal verbs →