Say vs Tell | Speak vs Talk: Understand Confusing English Verbs

If you've ever felt frustrated by these confusing English

verbs, say, tell, speak, and talk.

Then this lesson is everything you need to get confident accuracy.

Every time you use one of those confusing verb pairs with simple

explanations and multiple examples,

you'll understand the subtle differences in

speak versus talk and say, versus tell.

So you can avoid common mistakes. Plus,

I have pop quizzes for you along the way to make sure you've got everything

right

Before we start. If you don't already know,

I'm Annemarie with Speak Confident English,

everything I do is designed to help you get the confidence you want for your

life and work in English.

One way I do that is with my weekly Confident English lessons,

which you can find at my Speak Confident English website and

at my Speak Confident English, YouTube channel as well.

While you're watching this lesson,

make sure you give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

So you never miss one of my Confident English lessons.

Now let's get started right away with our first confusing English verb pair,

say versus tell what makes these two verbs.

So frustrating is they are both used to talk about giving information

to a person using words. So the meaning is similar,

but there is an important, subtle difference.

And when these two verbs are misused,

English speakers definitely recognize the mistake.

So let's talk about how to avoid those mistakes.

The most important difference in say versus tell is the focus

or the emphasis of the verb with say the focus is on

the information when used in a sentence it's followed by

what is, or what was said.

We don't really need any information about the listener. For example,

let's take a look at these three sentences. She says,

we need to finish up by noon. The boss said to take Friday off.

Anna said it was easy to do with tell. On the other hand,

the focus is on the listener. And when used in a sentence,

it is followed by who,

who did we give the information to? Who received it?

For example, she told me to finish up by noon.

The boss told us to take Friday off.

Anna told her it was easy to do.

If you look carefully at those sentences,

you'll notice that they're almost exactly the same. However,

the sentences using tell as the verb are immediately followed

by who,

who was the listener who received the information with that key

distinction in mind,

let's look at a few more important differences between say and tell

or different ways in which we use these two verbs.

Let's start with when we are informing or instructing,

when we're informing others or giving information, we tend to use the verbs.

Say, for example, Carol said,

the restaurant on main street is quite lovely.

In addition to a person giving information,

various mediums can give information as well. For example,

a letter or a newspaper.

The letter says there may be a disruption in the water supply for a few hours.

The news says the golden state warriors might win the championship.

When we're instructing on the other hand,

when we're actually telling someone what they should do or what we want them to

do, we use the verb tell,

and we identify the person instructed. For example,

the supervisor told us to send him a copy before the meeting.

And that example we know who received the instruction and we know what is

expected, what they are expected to do. All right,

use number two,

to help us understand the differences between say versus tell.

Paraphrasing tell is used to report what someone

said. In other words, paraphrase what someone has said.

And just like when we give instruction,

it is followed by the recipient. Here's a quick example.

Simone told me she'll meet up with us another time in that example,

rather than use Simone's exact words, I'm paraphrasing.

I'm stating what she said in my own words.

And I'm using the Vertel because I'm reporting what she said.

And this brings me to use number three,

when we're directly quoting someone,

if I'm going to quote the exact words used by a speaker,

then I use the verb say in writing,

you would typically see this with quotation marks. However,

we can't see those quotation marks in speaking.

And here's an example sentence. Simone said,

I'm tied up at work and won't be able to meet you for lunch.

I'll join you next time before we take a look at one more difference between,

say, versus tell, let's do a quick pop quiz. I have a sentence here,

and I want you to decide which verb fits best,

say or tell what do you think? I,

the waiter to split the bill, I said,

or I told if you decided,

I told the waiter to split the bill,

you'd be exactly right in this example, sentence,

not only am I instructing someone to do something,

I've also made it clear who is receiving the instructions,

the waiter, and now use number four to help us understand,

say versus TA is when we're hypothesizing.

You'll often notice that when English speakers are pondering a

situation, they'll start the sentence with let's say.

And when they say that, it simply means let's imagine,

let's imagine another situation.

Let's imagine an alternate scenario just for the fun of it.

Or maybe to help us brainstorm.

Here are two examples you could follow the next time you're in a conversation,

let's say you've won a million dollars. What would you do first?

Number two, let's say we do renovate the kitchen this summer.

How should we start to budget for that? Okay.

Before we get into speak versus talk,

let's talk about how you can practice these differences.

So you don't just learn them here in this video,

but you actually remember them and use them automatically.

My expertise is on spoken communication,

how to develop true fluency and confidence.

And that comes down to speaking practice.

Whether it's with a friend, coworkers, a teacher, a group,

a community group, or even a self learning approach.

If you want a simple approach that you can use on your own to get

speaking practice, I recommend you visit my website and download my free.

How to say what you want training in English. In that training,

I share the exact method that I use with my students to help them gain

confidence in their speaking,

and be empowered to recognize

mistakes and learn to avoid them in the future,

such as learning to avoid making the mistakes between say and tell.

So if you haven't downloaded that free training yet I recommend that you do.

And now let's get into the world of speak versus talk,

just like,

say and tell these two verbs are very similar in meaning.

However, there are two distinct differences.

The first difference is that speak tends to be used when

politeness and formality are required in a conversation.

Whereas talk tends to be used in conversations that are far more casual

or informal.

Let's take a look at two example sentences that are exactly the same with the

exception of the verb,

to help us understand this difference between the feeling of formality

versus informality sentence. Number one,

we spoke about the impact of our new media campaign in the meeting yesterday,

sentence two,

we talked about the impact of our new media campaign in the meeting yesterday,

both sentences are perfectly correct grammatically and they

have the same meaning. However,

the first sentence sounds more formal.

It feels cold and distant just because of the choice

of the verb. Spoke with friends, family, peers, coworkers,

and clients.

Your far more likely to hear the second sentence using the verb talk.

We talked about the impact of our new media campaign.

The reason for this is it is more casual in tone.

It sounds friendlier and more approachable.

Now the second important distinction between speak and talk is

that talk is used when referring to a conversation,

a conversation implies that more than one person is involved more than one

person is speaking. The verb speak on.

The other hand tends to be used when there's an absence of that back

and forth.

Let's take a look at five specific uses to help us illustrate these

differences between speak versus talk. And of course,

I've got a pop quiz for you somewhere in there so that you can make sure you've

got these right use. Number one is when we're specifying a language.

Anytime we refer to a language, we use the verb speak. For example,

Carmen speaks Spanish fluently or many women inside our

Confident Women Community speak more than two languages.

The second use is when we're focusing on one person.

In other words, we're focused on the person producing words,

not on a conversation,

not in a discussion where multiple people are involved. For example,

let's say you're making a phone call.

The moment someone picks up on the other end,

you might politely informally say,

may I speak with Helen when we're making a polite request over the

phone to talk with a specific person,

you're likely to hear that expression. May I speak with?

And later in the day,

let's say you're having a meeting with your coworkers in that discussion.

You might say earlier today, I spoke with Helen

and this brings me to use number three when having a conversation,

when we're referring to a conversation in which two or more people are involved,

we tend to use the verb talk. For example,

my friends and I talked for hours over dinner. It was fantastic.

Let's pause here for a moment in the previous use.

I highlighted using the verb speak when making

a request, for example, on the telephone.

May I speak with Helen or I spoke with Helen earlier today.

Those sentences are very polite and formal.

I can also use the verb talk in those circumstances.

If I'm referring to a conversation with one other person,

I can use talk followed by to.

And the individual I talked to, for example,

I talked to Marine about the change in venue,

or I talked to Helen on the phone today.

This changes that level of formality that we talked about earlier.

If I say I spoke with Helen earlier today,

versus I talked to Helen earlier today, there's no difference in meaning,

but there is a difference in the level of formality.

The second is far more casual.

And it's important to remember that when we use the verb talk,

we include the preposition to. I talked to Helen earlier today.

I talked to Marine about a change in venue.

We have two more uses to review, but before we do, let's do a pop quiz.

Once again, I want you to complete this sentence with the right verb,

professor Glen at the graduation and encourage the young graduates.

What verb should I use there? If you decided on the verb spoke?

You're exactly right.

Professor Glenn spoke at the graduation ceremony and encouraged.

The undergraduates spoke is more formal,

which is appropriate for a graduation ceremony.

And there's really only one person speaking.

It's not a conversation with more than one person involved.

All right,

let's finish up with our final two uses to help us understand the important

differences between speak and talk use.

Number four is when we're specifying a topic,

whether you want to specify the topic of a conversation or the topic

of a presentation, you'll follow the verbs,

speak and talk with the preposition about now,

let's keep the distinctions we learned about at the very beginning in mind talk

tends to be used when there's a conversation with more than one person involved.

And it's more casual in tone.

Here are two examples to help illustrate all of that.

Recently inside the Confident Women Community we've been talking about

cultivating a growth mindset.

This example sentence is casual in tone,

and it implies that many people are involved in,

in discussing this topic. Now here's the second example.

She spoke about the hidden power of introverts in her presentation.

In this second example sentence, there's an increased level of formality,

which is appropriate when we're considering a presentation. And of course,

in a presentation,

there's really only one person doing the speaking in both

of these examples,

we're specifying the topic of conversation or the presentation

using that preposition about.

And now use number five is when we're referring to extended

communication.

When we're referring to verbal communication between people over an extended

period of time, we use the verb talk. For example,

we haven't talked in ages. How have you been,

or my friends and I sat around the campfire and talked for hours

in both of those examples.

The verb talk is followed by a preposition and a period

of time.

Now that you have four clear uses to better understand the differences between

say versus tell and five different uses to understand the

distinctions between speak versus talk. Let's finish with a quiz.

I have five sentences for you and with each one,

I want you to choose the correct verb and the correct form of the verb as well.

Don't forget about the time tense after you complete this quiz,

you can find my answers to this quiz in the comments below the video.

Number one, Dr.

Gupta will at the conference next week. Number two,

my husband and I, the offer.

And we've decided to accept number three.

I'm so glad my toddler more than one language.

Number four, let's we take a road trip.

Where would we go? And number five,

our mother always us to avoid following trends

and stick with classic styles. Instead again, after you finish that quiz,

you can find the correct answers down below to verify that you got them.

All right. If you enjoyed this lesson, I would love to know.

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So you never miss one of my weekly lessons. Thank you so much for joining me.

And I look forward to seeing you next time.