Common Mistakes: "Say" & "Tell" (by Carla)

Hello!

I am going to write a series of blog posts with the most common mistakes Spanish students make when speaking or writing in English.

Today, we will focus on the difference between "say" and "tell"

The Difference between "Say" and "Tell"

First of all, you should be aware that the meaning of these two verbs is slightly different, so the best way to show you is with their Spanish translations...

"To Say" = "Decir"

"To Tell" = "Decirle a"

As you can see, "to say" doesn't have a specific audience, while "to tell" has a specific target audience. You can say anything to anyone; however, you tell someone a specific something. Does that make sense to you?

Let's see if these examples make it even clearer....

TO SAY

TO TELL

Other Meanings of "To Tell"

As you may already know, "to tell" does not only mean "decirle a". This verb also has two additional meanings:

"To Tell" = "Contar"

"To Tell" = "Relatar"

My mother always used to tell me a bedtime story.

Mi madre siempre me contaba cuentos para dormir.

He is telling the truth.

Él está diciendo la verdad.

What she told me was a lie!

¡Lo que me contó era mentira!

*Remember* Whenever we talk about "the truth" (la verdad) and "a lie" (una mentira), we always use the verb "to tell".

When to use "Tell" or "Tell To"?

Grammatically speaking, it all depends on the word order of your sentence. The rules are:

TELL + PERSON + OBJECT

She told me a joke

My brother tells her a secret

TELL + OBJECT + TO + PERSON

She told a joke to me

My brother tells a secret to her.

I hope this is clear, but if it isn't... Don't worry! We generally use the first grammatical format (tell + person + object) anyway.

More Theory and Practice

So, if you want to practise what you have learnt today, or if you need further clarification....

On Idiomium, you can find:

- The whole grammatical lesson explained in Spanish.

- Exercises to practise what you have learnt (at the bottom of the page).

Hope you find this lesson helpful!

Best wishes,

Carla