Say vs Tell: la differenza in inglese che confonde tutti

Se stai studiando inglese, è molto probabile che tu abbia digitato su Google almeno una volta:

“Difference between say and tell”

Non sei solo.

Questa è una delle questioni che creano più confusione in assoluto in inglese, ed è anche tra le più cercate.

Perché?
Perché say e tell significano entrambi “dire”, ma in inglese vengono usati in modi molto diversi. I madrelingua non pensano alle regole… ma chi studia la lingua sì.

Facciamo finalmente chiarezza — in modo semplice, chiaro e con esempi reali.

L’idea chiave (in una frase)

“Say” si concentra sulle parole.
“Tell” si concentra sulla persona che ascolta.

Quando capisci questa differenza, tutto diventa molto più semplice.

Come funziona “Say”

Usiamo say quando le parole in sé sono importanti.

Strutture comuni

• say + qualcosa
• say + (that) + frase
• say + citazione

Esempi

• She said she was tired.
  (Ha detto che era stanca.)
• They said it wasn’t a problem.
  (Hanno detto che non era un problema.)
• He said, “I’ll call you later.”
  (Ha detto: “Ti chiamo più tardi.”)

Regola importante

❌ Say di solito non include la persona a cui si parla.

Se vuoi menzionare l’ascoltatore, devi usare to:

• She said to me that she was busy.
• He said to his boss that he disagreed.

Tuttavia, questa struttura è poco comune nell’inglese parlato di tutti i giorni e, nell’inglese moderno, i madrelingua tendono a evitarla.

Preferiscono invece:

• tell + persona → He told me he was tired.
• say senza indicare l’ascoltatore → He said he was tired.

Quindi, anche se say + to + persona è corretto, spesso suona:

• formale
• rigido
• leggermente innaturale nella conversazione

Quando “say + to + persona” suona naturale

I madrelingua usano questa struttura soprattutto in due casi:

a) Con frasi brevi o espressioni fisse

• She said hello to me.
• He said sorry to his team.
• I said goodbye to everyone.

Queste sono molto comuni e suonano del tutto naturali.

b) In contesti più formali o scritti

• relazioni
• narrazione
• linguaggio legale o ufficiale

Esempio:

• He said to the court that he had no further comments.

Come funziona “Tell”

Usiamo tell quando la persona che riceve l’informazione è importante.

Se usi tell, quasi sempre devi dire a chi stai parlando.

Strutture comuni

• tell + someone + something
• tell + someone + (that) + frase
• tell + someone + about something

Esempi

• She told me the truth.
  (Mi ha detto la verità.)
• He told us (that) he was leaving.
  (Ci ha detto che se ne stava andando.)
• I told my friend about the problem.
  (Ho parlato del problema a un amico.)

❌ Non puoi dire:

• She told that she was tired.

✔️ Devi includere la persona:

• She told me that she was tired.

L’errore più comune degli studenti

Questa frase sembra logica… ma è sbagliata:

❌ He said me the news.

Perché?
Perché say non può avere un oggetto diretto (me, him, her).

Versione corretta

✔️ He told me the news.

Situazioni in cui funziona solo UNA forma

Alcune espressioni sono fisse in inglese. Vanno semplicemente imparate.

Usiamo “Say”:

Say hello

• When we finally met in person, she smiled and said hello as if we already knew each other.
• He always says hello to the security guard before entering the building.
• I said hello, but she didn’t seem to hear me.

Say goodbye

• They said goodbye at the station, knowing it might be a long time before they met again.
• I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye before he left.
• She had said goodbye so many times that it stopped feeling final.

Say sorry

• He said sorry for the misunderstanding, even though it wasn’t entirely his fault.
• I should have said sorry earlier instead of staying silent.
• She has never once said sorry for the way she treated them.

Say something

• I waited for him to say something, but the room remained painfully quiet.
• If something feels wrong, you should say something before it gets worse.
• She was clearly upset, yet she refused to say anything.

Say nothing

• He read the message carefully and chose to say nothing.
• I expected an explanation, but she said nothing and walked away.
• Sometimes the kindest response is to say nothing at all.

Usiamo “Tell”:

Tell the truth

• She finally told the truth after weeks of avoiding the question.
• He has always told the truth, even when it put him in an uncomfortable position.
• If you had told the truth from the beginning, this situation would have been much simpler.

Tell a lie

• He told a lie to protect his friend, not to deceive anyone.
• She had told a lie once before and regretted it immediately.
• It’s easier to trust someone who admits a mistake than someone who tells a lie.

Tell a story

• My grandfather used to tell stories about his childhood every winter evening.
• She told a story so convincingly that everyone believed it was true.
• He told a story about what happened, but parts of it didn’t quite make sense.

Tell a secret

• I told her a secret and trusted her not to share it with anyone else.
• He has never told anyone the secret he has carried for years.
• She wished she hadn’t told a secret that wasn’t hers to share.

Tell someone off (rimproverare)

• The teacher told him off for arriving late again.
• She was told off by her manager for ignoring the instructions.
• I didn’t expect to be told off so harshly over such a small mistake.

Tell the news

• She told the news calmly, even though everyone in the room was visibly shocked.
• He had already told his parents the news before speaking to anyone else.
• They will tell the news officially later this afternoon.

Tell the difference

• I can’t tell the difference between the two designs without looking closely.
• She has always been able to tell the difference between genuine concern and politeness.
• At first glance, he couldn’t tell the difference.

Tell the time

• By the age of five, she could already tell the time without help.
• I haven’t been able to tell the time properly since my watch stopped working.
• He glanced at the tower clock to tell the time before the meeting started.

Tell the future

• Some people claim they can tell the future by reading patterns in nature.
• She never said she could tell the future, only that she noticed trends.
• If anyone could truly tell the future, mistakes would be impossible.

Tell a joke

• He told a joke to ease the tension in the room.
• She was telling a joke when she realised no one was laughing.
• He has told the same joke so many times that everyone knows the ending.

Tell a tale

• The old sailor would tell tales of distant oceans and strange encounters.
• She told a tale that blurred the line between memory and imagination.
• Stories are remembered longer when someone takes the time to tell a tale.

Esempi reali e moderni

Ecco come i madrelingua usano say e tell nella vita quotidiana.

Esempi con SAY

• He said he’d text, but he never did.
• She said it wasn’t a big deal… but it clearly was.
• She said she was “five minutes away,” but she arrived half an hour later.
• They said they’d update us by Friday, but we’re still waiting.
• He said he was working from home, but he never logged on.
• She said she’d think about it and get back to me.
• He said he’d send the file, but I haven’t seen it yet.
• She said she was fine, then muted the conversation.

Esempi con TELL

• Did you tell her what really happened?
• I told my boss I’d be late.
• I told him I couldn’t talk right now, and he understood.
• Did you tell anyone about the meeting being moved?
• I told her not to worry, even though I was worried myself.
• I told my manager I needed the day off.
• Did you tell the group chat what time we’re meeting?
• I told them I’d join later if I finished in time.

Considerazione finale

“Say” e “tell” sono parole piccole, ma usarle correttamente rende il tuo inglese chiaro, sicuro e naturale.

E quando questa differenza diventa chiara, inizierai a notarle ovunque —
nelle conversazioni, nei film, nelle email e nei messaggi.

È in quel momento che capirai che sta davvero funzionando.

Esercizio: Say o Tell

Inserisci la forma corretta di say o tell, usando il tempo giusto.

1. She __________ she would be late to the meeting.
2. Can you __________ me the time?
3. He __________ a funny joke at the party last night.
4. I didn’t want to upset her, so I just __________ nothing.
5. My brother always __________ the truth, even when it’s difficult.
6. “I’ll call you later,” he __________.
7. Did you __________ your parents about your new job?
8. She __________ goodbye to everyone before leaving.
9. He __________ me a secret and asked me not to tell anyone.
10. I couldn’t __________ the difference between the two paintings.

Risposte

1. said
2. tell
3. told
4. said
5. tells
6. said
7. tell
8. said
9. told
10. tell

Ancora pratica!

Completa le frasi con say o tell, facendo attenzione se è presente un ascoltatore.

1. She __________ me that she had already finished her homework.
2. “I can’t believe it!” he __________.
3. I didn’t want to lie, so I __________ the truth.
4. Did you __________ your sister what happened at school?
5. He just __________ hello and walked past without stopping.
6. The teacher __________ the students to be quiet before starting the lesson.
7. She __________ nothing about her plans for the weekend.
8. He __________ a story about his travels in Japan.
9. “I’m really sorry,” she __________ to him after the argument.
10. I can’t __________ the difference between the two brands of coffee.

Risposte

1. told
2. said
3. told
4. tell
5. said
6. told
7. said
8. told
9. said
10. tell