Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'tell' when you mention the listener immediately after the verb; use 'say' when the focus is on the words themselves.
- Use 'tell' with a personal object: 'He told me the secret.'
- Use 'say' without a personal object: 'She said she was tired.'
- Use 'say to' if you must mention the listener with 'say': 'He said to me that he was leaving.'
Overview
say と tell の使い分けは、中級レベル（B1）に到達する際に必ずと言っていいほど直面する大きな壁の一つです。日本語ではどちらも「言った」「話した」「伝えた」と訳せてしまうため、頭の中で日本語を英語に直訳しようとすると、どうしても間違いが起こりやすくなります。しかし、英語のネイティブスピーカーにとって、この二つの動詞は文法的な役割も、相手に与える印象も全く異なるものです。say は「言葉の内容」に焦点を当て、tell は「誰かに情報を伝える」という行為そのものに焦点を当てます。日本語には「は」や「が」といった助詞があるおかげで語順が比較的自由ですが、英語は語順（Word Order）が文法的な役割を決定する言語です。この「語順のルール」こそが、say と tell を使い分ける最大の鍵となります。本稿では、日本人がつまずきやすいポイントを整理しながら、これら二つの動詞のマスターを目指しましょう。say の仕組み：内容が主役say は「発言内容」を直接の目的語に取る動詞です。つまり、say のすぐ後ろに来るのは「何を言ったか」という言葉そのものです。日本語の「〜と言う」に近い感覚ですが、大きな特徴は「誰に」という相手を置く場合、必ず to という前置詞が必要になる点です。She said,（彼女は「ハロー」と言った。：発言そのものが後ろに来る）Hello.She said that she was busy.（彼女は忙しいと言った。：that節で内容が続く）
say も同様に to という「方向」を示すパーツを必要とします。逆に言えば、say の直後にいきなり me や him などの人を置くことはできません。tell の仕組み：相手が主役tell は、情報を「誰かに届ける」というニュアンスが非常に強い動詞です。文法的には「二重目的語」を取ることが得意な動詞で、tell + 人 + 内容 という形が基本です。この「人」の部分（間接目的語）が tell には不可欠であるという点が、say との決定的な違いです。He told me the truth.（彼は私に真実を話した。）I told him to wait.（私は彼に待つように言った。）
tell の後ろには必ずと言っていいほど「情報の受け取り手」が登場します。say パターン | 英語の tell パターン |said (to me), «...» | He told me, «...» |said (to me) that... | He told me that... |told me to do... |tell）では受け取り手を明示することが強く求められます。この「省略の可否」と「語順の固定」が、私たち日本人にとって最初のハードルとなります。say (過去形: said) の基本パターン- 1
say+ «引用句»
He said, "I'm hungry."- 直接話法と呼ばれる形で、言った内容をそのまま引用します。
- 1
say+ (that) + 節
She said that she would be late.- 「〜だと言った」という内容を伝える最も一般的な形です。
thatは省略可能です。
- 1
say+ to + 人
What did you say to him?- 「誰に」を言いたい場合は必ず
toを挟みます。
tell (過去形: told) の基本パターン- 1
tell+ 人 + 内容 (that節 / 疑問節)
I told her that the meeting was cancelled.Can you tell me where the station is?- 「人」を置いてから「内容」を続けます。
- 1
tell+ 人 + to do (不定詞)
My boss told me to finish the report by Friday.- 「人」に「〜するように」と指示・命令する時の定番の形です。
sayではこの形は作れません。
- 1
tell+ 人 + 物 (名詞)
Tell me a story.He told me a lie.- 「物語」「嘘」「真実」などの特定の単語は、この形でよく使われます。
telltell が好まれます。相手にアクションを促したり、知識を授けたりするニュアンスが含まれるからです。- 職場での指示:
The manager told the team to focus on the new project. - アドバイス:
My doctor told me to exercise more. - 道案内:
Could you tell me how to get to the airport?（「空港への行き方を教えて」という依頼）
saysay を使います。- ニュースや報告:
The newspaper says it's going to be a cold winter.（新聞には〜と書いてある） - 挨拶や短い言葉:
She said goodbye and left. - 書面の内容:
The email says the delivery is delayed.
say を使います。日本語では「看板に〜と書いてある」と言いますが、英語では The sign says... と表現するのが最も自然です。tellを使うもの:tell a lie（嘘をつく）tell the truth（真実を言う）tell a story（話をする）tell a joke（冗談を言う）tell the difference（違いを見分ける）tell the time（時計を読んで時刻を言う）
sayを使うもの:say a prayer（祈りを捧げる）say sorry / say thank you（謝る／お礼を言う）say yes / no（イエス・ノーを言う）
say の直後に人を置いてしまう- Incorrect:
He said me he was tired. - Correct:
He told me he was tired.またはHe said to me that he was tired.
said の後にすぐ me を置きたくなります。しかし、前述の通り say は「人」を直接目的語に取れないため、to がない限り「私を言った（私という単語を発音した）」というおかしな意味になってしまいます。tell の後の「人」を忘れてしまう- Incorrect:
I told that I would go. - Correct:
I said that I would go.またはI told him that I would go.
tell は「誰に」というターゲットがいないと文が完成しません。内容だけを言いたいなら say を使うべきです。say + to do を使ってしまう- Incorrect:
He said me to open the window. - Correct:
He told me to open the window.
said を使いたくなります。しかし、英語の say には「人 + 不定詞（to do）」を取る形は存在しません。命令や依頼のニュアンスを含む「〜するように言った」は、必ず tell のパターンを使います。say と tell 以外にも、話すことを表す speak と talk があります。これら4つの違いを整理すると、より理解が深まります。say | 言葉の内容・引用 | 相手がいなくても成立。to が必要。 |tell | 情報の伝達・指示 | 相手が必須。教える、伝える。 |speak | 言語能力・一方的な発話 | フォーマル。speak English、演説など。 |talk | 双方向のやり取り | カジュアル。対話、おしゃべり。 |Can I talk to you? が自然です。一方で、上司が「君に話がある（伝えたいことがある）」という時は、一方的な情報伝達のニュアンスで I need to tell you something. と言ったりします。say to me と tell me はどちらがよく使われますか？tell me の方が日常会話では一般的です。say to me は少しフォーマル、あるいは「彼が私に向かって（わざわざ）こう言ったんだ」と、発言の事実に重みを置きたい時に使われます。迷ったら tell + 人 を使うのがスムーズです。say ですか？The sign says No Smoking. と言います。tell を使うと、看板が意思を持ってあなたに命令しているような、少し擬人化された不自然な響きになります。書かれている内容は say と覚えましょう。tell の後に to を入れることはありますか？tell to me は間違いです。ただし、tell + 人 + to do（〜するように言う）のように、後ろの動詞に to がつく形は非常に多いので、混同しないように注意しましょう。I said to myself... という表現はありますか？say が適しています。say と tell の違いは、単なる意味の違いではなく、英語特有の「語順のルール」の違いであることがお分かりいただけたと思います。最初は「tell の後ろには人を置く！」と意識するだけでも、ミスは劇的に減ります。日常の LINE やメール、あるいは職場での会話で、今日学んだパターンをぜひ意識して使ってみてください。頑張りましょう（Keep it up!）Conjugation of Say and Tell
| Tense | Say (Irregular) | Tell (Irregular) |
|---|---|---|
|
Base Form
|
say
|
tell
|
|
Present Simple (he/she/it)
|
says /sez/
|
tells
|
|
Past Simple
|
said /sed/
|
told
|
|
Past Participle
|
said /sed/
|
told
|
|
Present Participle
|
saying
|
telling
|
Meanings
Both verbs report information, but 'tell' requires an indirect object (the listener), while 'say' focuses on the message content.
Reporting Information
To give information or news to someone.
“He said that the meeting was canceled.”
“She told her boss that she was quitting.”
Giving Instructions
Using 'tell' to order or instruct someone to do something.
“The doctor told me to stay in bed.”
“I told him not to touch the stove.”
Collocations (Fixed Phrases)
Specific expressions where only one of the verbs is correct regardless of the general rule.
“Can you tell the time?”
“He always tells the truth.”
Distinguishing/Identifying
Using 'tell' to mean 'to know' or 'to distinguish' between things.
“I can't tell the difference between these two colors.”
“Can you tell if she's joking?”
Reference Table
| 特徴 | `said` | `told` |
|---|---|---|
|
聞き手が必要？
|
いいえ
|
はい、必ず必要です
|
|
基本の形
|
主語 + said + (that)...
|
主語 + told + 聞き手 + (that)...
|
|
正しい例
|
She `said` she was happy.
|
She `told me` she was happy.
|
|
間違いやすい例
|
`She said me...` (間違い)
|
`She told that...` (間違い)
|
|
引用文での使用
|
使えます (`He said, "Go."`)
|
使えます (`He told her, "Go."`)
|
|
フォーカス
|
話された言葉そのもの
|
誰かに情報を伝える行為
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
He informed the committee that he would be resigning. (Workplace resignation)
He told the committee that he was quitting. (Workplace resignation)
He said he was gonna quit. (Workplace resignation)
He was like, 'I'm out.' (Workplace resignation)
報告する時の動詞: Said vs. Told
聞き手を言わない時
- SAID He said he was tired.
聞き手を言う時
- TOLD He told me he was tired.
Said と Told の一目でわかる違い
どっちを使う？ Said か Told かの判断
文の中に「聞き手」は出てくる？
Said と Told の使い分けシーン
SAID を使う時...
- • 聞き手がいない時
- • 看板や文章の内容を伝える時
- • 直接の引用（カギカッコ）を使う時
TOLD を使う時...
- • 聞き手（me, youなど）がいる時
- • 誰かに情報を直接教える時
- • 物語や冗談を話す時
レベル別の例文
He said hello.
Él dijo hola.
Tell me your name.
Dime tu nombre.
She said, 'I am hungry.'
Ella dijo: 'Tengo hambre'.
They told us a joke.
Ellos nos contaron un chiste.
He told me that he was tired.
Él me dijo que estaba cansado.
What did you say to her?
¿Qué le dijiste a ella?
The teacher told the students to sit down.
El profesor les dijo a los estudiantes que se sentaran.
I said I would help you.
Dije que te ayudaría.
She told me about her trip to Italy.
Ella me contó sobre su viaje a Italia.
He said he had never been there before.
Dijo que nunca había estado allí antes.
Can you tell the difference between these two?
¿Puedes notar la diferencia entre estos dos?
I told him not to worry about the bill.
Le dije que no se preocupara por la cuenta.
It is said that the CEO will resign tomorrow.
Se dice que el CEO renunciará mañana.
I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.
No podía saber si hablaba en serio o no.
He said to me, quite clearly, that he was finished.
Me dijo, muy claramente, que había terminado.
To tell you the truth, I don't really like pizza.
A decir verdad, no me gusta mucho la pizza.
The evidence tells a very different story.
La evidencia cuenta una historia muy diferente.
Needless to say, we were all very disappointed.
No hace falta decir que todos estábamos muy decepcionados.
He was told off by his manager for being late.
Su gerente lo regañó por llegar tarde.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate this.
No puedo expresarte cuánto agradezco esto.
There were fifty people there, all told.
Había cincuenta personas allí, en total.
The long hours were starting to tell on his health.
Las largas horas estaban empezando a afectar su salud.
Whatever he says goes in this office.
Lo que él diga se hace en esta oficina.
He has a certain 'je ne sais quoi', as the French say.
Tiene un cierto 'no sé qué', como dicen los franceses.
間違えやすい
Learners often use 'say' when they mean 'talk' or 'speak'.
Learners forget the 'to' when using 'say' with a listener.
Mixing up the tense backshift while trying to choose between say and tell.
よくある間違い
He told that he is happy.
He said that he is happy.
She said me hello.
She said hello to me.
I sayed him the truth.
I told him the truth.
Tell to me your name.
Tell me your name.
He told to go home.
He told me to go home.
I said him to wait.
I told him to wait.
She said a story.
She told a story.
He said me that he was busy.
He told me that he was busy.
Can you say me the time?
Can you tell me the time?
I said to him 'No'.
I said 'No' to him.
All said, it was a good day.
All told, it was a good day.
The stress was starting to say on her.
The stress was starting to tell on her.
文型パターン
He told me that ___.
She said, '___.'
I can't tell if ___.
They told us to ___.
Real World Usage
He said he's on his way.
I told my previous employer that I was ready for a new challenge.
Who told you that?!
The pilot said there would be some turbulence.
I told the driver to leave the food at the gate.
The doctor told me to take this medicine twice a day.
「2人」のルールを覚えよう
He told me he was hungry.
「Said Me」の罠に注意！
He said me です。必ず He told me か He said to me に直しましょう。 He told me the truth.
文章や看板には Said を使う
「Said To Me」は少し硬い？
She told me she would call later.
Smart Tips
Choose 'tell'.
Use 'say'.
Drop the 'that' after say or tell.
Use 'tell' to mean 'distinguish'.
発音
The 'said' vowel
The word 'said' is pronounced with a short 'e' sound, like 'bed'. It is NOT pronounced like 'paid'.
The 'says' vowel
Similarly, 'says' is pronounced /sez/, like 'says' rhymes with 'fez'.
The 'told' diphthong
The 'o' in 'told' is a long 'o' sound, like 'gold' or 'cold'.
Reporting emphasis
He TOLD me (not you).
Emphasizing the recipient of the information.
Quote emphasis
He said 'NO'.
Emphasizing the specific words used.
暗記しよう
記憶術
You TELL a person, but you SAY a word.
視覚的連想
Imagine a megaphone (SAY) broadcasting to a crowd, vs. a person whispering (TELL) directly into someone's ear.
Rhyme
If the listener is in the slot, use TELL to hit the spot. If the message is all you play, then the word you need is SAY.
Story
Tom wanted to share a secret. He SAID, 'I have a secret.' Then he TOLD his friend the secret. His friend SAID, 'Wow!' and TOLD Tom not to worry.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Look at your last 5 sent text messages. Rewrite them using 'said' or 'told' to report what you or others communicated.
文化メモ
In some UK dialects, 'I says' is used informally in storytelling (e.g., 'So I says to him...'), but this is grammatically non-standard.
The use of 'be like' as a reporting verb is extremely common among younger generations, often replacing 'said'.
Directness in 'telling' can vary. In some professional cultures, 'I was told' is used to deflect personal responsibility for a decision.
Both words come from Old English: 'secgan' (to say) and 'tellan' (to count, reckon, or relate).
会話のきっかけ
Tell me about your favorite childhood memory.
Has anyone ever told you a secret you couldn't keep?
What is something your teacher always told you to do?
Can you tell the difference between cheap and expensive coffee?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
She ___ me a funny story about her trip.
Find and fix the mistake:
My brother said me he was going to the store.
Choose the correct sentence:
The children's mother ___ that it was time for bed.
Score: /4
練習問題
8 exercisesShe ___ me that she was moving to London.
He ___ 'Hello' and walked away.
Find and fix the mistake:
I said him to be quiet.
1. Tell, 2. Say
He said to me that he was lost.
A: What did he ___? B: He ___ me to leave.
You can use 'say' followed immediately by a person (e.g., 'I said him').
___ a joke
Score: /8
Practice Bank
13 exercisesOur guide ___ us to stay on the path.
I'm not sure what he ___, but everyone laughed.
正しい文を選んでください：
正しい文を選んでください：
The doctor told that I should get more rest.
Please said them the news as soon as possible.
「彼は私に秘密を教えてくれた」を英語にしてください。
「彼女はその映画はつまらないと言った」を英語にしてください。
単語を並べ替えて正しい文を作ってください：
単語を並べ替えて正しい文を作ってください：
文の始まりと終わりを正しく組み合わせてください：
What did you ___ to him?
They said us they would arrive at 8 PM.
Score: /13
よくある質問 (8)
Yes, but only if you use the preposition 'to'. For example: 'He said to me that he was tired.' However, 'He told me' is much more common.
These are fixed collocations. 'Tell' is used for longer narratives (stories, jokes), while 'say' is used for shorter, ritualistic utterances (prayers, greetings).
No, 'say' is irregular. The past tense is 'said', pronounced like 'sed'.
Yes! In this case, 'me' is the object, and the 'something' is implied by the context.
'Inform' is much more formal. You 'tell' your friend a secret, but you 'inform' your boss of a decision.
It is always 'tell the truth'.
Yes, it can mean to distinguish or know. 'I can't tell the difference' means 'I don't know the difference'.
It is optional in informal English. 'He said he was tired' and 'He said that he was tired' are both correct.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
decir / contar
Spanish 'decir' doesn't require a change in verb based on the presence of a listener.
dire / raconter
French speakers often say 'He said me' because 'Il m'a dit' is a direct translation.
sagen / erzählen
German uses 'sagen' with a listener more frequently than English uses 'say' with a listener.
iu (言う) / hanasu (話す)
Japanese verbs don't have the same 'object requirement' that 'tell' has.
qala (قال) / akhbara (أخبر)
Arabic uses 'qala' with a preposition 'li' (to) very frequently, similar to 'say to'.
shuō (说) / gàosù (告诉)
Chinese speakers may still confuse them due to the lack of tense markers in their native language.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
関連動画
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