Both SAY and TELL are used to report words someone said, but they are used differently. Now, how do you use them in a sentence?

Here are some quick tips on how to use these two confusing words.

"I loved the movie, John!"

SAY

Basically, say focuses on the words of the speech. When you use say, you relay the words that were said.

Examples:

Barbara: "I loved the movie!"
Barbara said she loved the movie.

Assistant: "Ms Delphine is out of the office."
Your assistant said you were out of the office.

Your Parents: "We are coming for dinner."
Your parents said they were coming for dinner.

It's possible to include the person listening to the speech by using to.

Examples:

Barbara said to John that she loved the movie.
Your assistant said to me that you were out of the office.
They said to my mother that they were coming for dinner.

However, it is better the use tell if you want to mention the person being spoken to.

TELL

Tell focuses more on the message of what someone said. Usually, you also mention who the person listening is.

Examples:

Barbara told John that she loved the movie.
Your assistant told me that you were out of the office.
They told my mother that they were coming for dinner.

We hope you found this helpful! We will write more on this topic next time.

If you want to learn more about say and tell and other confusing words, schedule a lesson with Learntalk. Our online English teachers are ready to help you!