Grammar Rules · Say vs. tell
Say vs. tell.
"Tell" needs a person right after it: "tell me", "tell the team". "Say" does not take a person as its object: you "say something", or "say something to someone". So it is "she told me the plan" but "she said the plan changed".
Wrong → right
| Common mistake | Corrected |
|---|---|
| He said me the meeting moved to Monday. | He told me the meeting moved to Monday. |
| Can you say me the wifi password? | Can you tell me the wifi password? |
| She told that she was busy this week. | She said that she was busy this week. |
| The manager said us to wait outside. | The manager told us to wait outside. |
| Please tell to him the news yourself. | Please tell him the news yourself. |
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