CARROTTA
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🗣️ Compendium
Grammar
EN
English — say vs tell
Both verbs report speech, but the grammar differs. You say something (to someone), while you tell someone something. Getting the object pattern right is the key.
1
How it works
✓ Rule
Tell takes a personal object directly: I told her the truth, tell me your name. Say does not take a personal object — you add to: I said goodbye to her, say hello to John. So say something to somebody, but tell somebody something.
2
Examples
| Example | Pattern / use |
|---|---|
| She said nothing. | say + something (no person) |
| Say hello to your mother. | say + something + to + person |
| Tell me the truth. | tell + person + something |
| He told us a story. | tell + person + something |
| Don't tell a lie. | fixed phrase with tell |
| Can you tell the time? | fixed phrase with tell |
| Tell me about your trip. | tell + person + about + topic |
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Good to know
⚠ Note
A common mistake is to put a person straight after say: not say me the answer but tell me the answer, or say the answer to me. Note the fixed phrases keep tell: tell a lie, tell the truth, tell the time, tell a story, tell a joke — never say a lie.