During this short English lesson, you will learn the difference between the verbs “say” and “tell”
“Say” and “tell” are irregular verbs in English which tend to be confusing for English language learners, since they have pretty similar meanings.
These are the forms of both verbs:
The past simple and past participle of say is said, for tell is told.
- She said something inappropriate during the meeting
- She told me a story during the lunch break
Now, let’s check some information that will let’s know when to use “say” and “tell”
Table of Contents
Difference Between “Say” and “Tell”
“Say“ focuses on the words someone said and “tell” focuses on the message of what someone said.
“Tell” is usually accompanied by a personal object. For example:
- She told me something about a certain project
- She tells me the same thing every day
“Tell” is the verb commonly used to report a command or instruction in English:
- They told me to create a new website
- She told me not to spend more money on phone games
“Say” needs to be accompanied by to
- She didn’t say anything hurtful to me
- She said to me that she was gonna swim
In reported speech, “say” is the verb commonly used:
- He said, ‘I’m not paying $100 for that hat.’
- He said that she was going to take the bus
Collocations using Say and Tell
When it comes to identifying the difference between “say” and “tell”, you have to remember the collocations related to both verbs
These are some collocations with tell
| #1 | Tell a joke |
| #2 | Tell a lie |
| #3 | Tell someone |
| #4 | Tell a story |
| #5 | Tell the truth |
| #6 | Tell time |
| #7 | Tell a secret |
| #8 | Tell a friend |
| #9 | Tell a tale |
| #10 | Tell a joke |
| #11 | Tell the future |
| #12 | Tell the difference |
These are some collocation with say:
| #1 | Say sorry |
| #2 | Say Goodbye |
| #3 | Say a word |
| #4 | Say “Please” |
| #5 | Say something aloud |
| #6 | Say a prayer |
| #7 | Say a few words |
| #8 | Say hello |
Say and Tell Difference: Video Explanation
In this English lesson, the difference between these say and tell with many example sentences.
Tell vs Say Worksheet
Complete the sentences by writing the past form of the verbs “say” and “tell”
In case you want to download the PDF version, you can get it for free from my Gumroad Store
