Say, Tell, Speak, Talk: Stop Mixing Them Up

These four verbs all relate to communication, but English uses them in different sentence patterns.

Say: focus on the words

Use say when the main idea is what somebody said.

She said, “I’m tired.”
He said that the meeting was cancelled.

If you mention the listener, use say something to someone: She said hello to me.

Tell: focus on the person receiving the information

Tell normally needs a person after it.

She told me the truth.
Can you tell us what happened?

Common combinations include tell the truth, tell a story, tell a joke, tell someone to do something.

Speak: languages and more formal communication

Use speak for languages and often for more formal communication.

Do you speak English?
I need to speak to the manager.

Talk: conversation and interaction

Talk often suggests a conversation between people.

We talked about our plans.
Can I talk to you for a minute?

Common corrections

He said me the answer. → He told me the answer.

She told that she was busy. → She said that she was busy.

I can talk English. → I can speak English.

Mini practice

1. Please ___ me your name.
2. What did she ___ about the interview?
3. We need to ___ about your schedule.
4. He ___ three languages fluently.

Answers: tell; say; talk; speaks.

Memory shortcut: say words, tell a person, speak a language, talk with people.