Say or Tell? The Listener Trick

Your best friend just got engaged!

你最好的朋友剛剛訂婚了！

You rush home and say, I said him the news!

你衝回家說：「I said him the news!」

Hmm... something sounds wrong, doesn't it?

嗯……聽起來有點不對，對吧？

Here's the trick.

訣竅是這樣的。

Tell needs a listener. Say doesn't.

「tell」需要一個聽的人，「say」不需要。

With tell, you name the person straight away.

用「tell」時，後面馬上接人。

Tell me. Tell her. Tell your boss.

「Tell me.」「Tell her.」「Tell your boss.」

With say, the words come first.

用「say」時，先出現的是說話的內容。

She said hello. He said it was late.

「She said hello.」「He said it was late.」

Want to add a person? Use to.

想加上一個人？用「to」。

He said sorry to me.

「He said sorry to me.」

Wait, what about tell a story?

等等，那「tell a story」呢？

Good catch! A few fixed phrases break the rule.

觀察得真仔細！有幾個固定說法是例外。

Tell a story, tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a joke.

「tell a story」、「tell the truth」、「tell a lie」、「tell a joke」。

So when you're stuck, look for the listener.

所以拿不準的時候，就找聽的人。

Is a person right after the verb? Then tell.

動詞後面緊接著人嗎？那就用「tell」。

No person? Then say.

沒有人？那就用「say」。

Go on, tell someone what you just learned!

去吧，把你剛學到的告訴別人！