Say vs Tell : Comment choisir le bon verbe

SAY et TELL impliquent tous deux de communiquer avec des mots, mais avec des structures différentes.

SAY - Focus sur les mots

Say + ce qui est dit (pas de complément personne obligatoire)

• "He said (that) he was tired."
• "She said hello."
• "He said to me that..." (avec "to")

Expressions avec SAY : say hello/goodbye, say please/thank you, say sorry, say a prayer, say yes/no

TELL - Focus sur la personne

Tell + personne + ce qui est dit (complément personne obligatoire)

• "He told me (that) he was tired."
• "She told them to wait."
• "Tell me the truth."

Expressions avec TELL : tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, tell a joke, tell the time, tell the difference

Résumé

• SAY something (to someone)
• TELL someone something

Erreurs courantes

• ❌ "He said me..." → ✅ "He told me..." ou "He said to me..."
• ❌ "He told that..." → ✅ "He said that..."