Dire : SAY ou TELL
Dire en général ou dire à quelqu'un ? Une distinction importante !
Le piège expliqué
💬 SAY
Dire en général, prononcer des mots
He said hello. (Il a dit bonjour)
She said "I'm tired". (Elle a dit "Je suis fatiguée")
What did he say to you? (Qu'est-ce qu'il t'a dit ?)
Say + mots / Say + to + personne / Say + that + proposition
👥 TELL
Dire à quelqu'un, informer
She told me a story. (Elle m'a raconté une histoire)
Can you tell me the time? (Peux-tu me dire l'heure ?)
He told us to wait. (Il nous a dit d'attendre)
Tell + personne + information / Tell + personne + to + verbe
❌ Erreur fréquente
❌ He said me
✅ He told me (Il m'a dit)
✅ He said to me (Il m'a dit)
🔄 Expressions fixes
SAY : say goodbye, say sorry, say yes/no
TELL : tell a story, tell a lie, tell the truth, tell a joke
📋 Structures
SAY + words / SAY + to + person
TELL + person + information
Exercice — 10 questions
He · hello to everyone.
She · me a story.
What did he · to you?
Can you · me the time?
He · that he was tired.
She · her children to be quiet.
He · goodbye and left.
Could you · me what happened?
She · 'I love you'.
He · us the truth.