The Differences Between Say and Tell

Kata kerja say dan tell memiliki arti yang serupa. Keduanya berarti "berkomunikasi secara verbal dengan seseorang". Tetapi kita sering menggunakannya secara berbeda.
Cara sederhana untuk berpikir tentang say dan tell adalah:

• You say something 
• You tell someone something 

Perhatikan contoh kalimat dibawah:

You say something	You tell someone something
Ram said that he was tired.	Ram told Jane that he was tired.
Anthony says you have a new job.	Anthony tells me you have a new job.
Tara said: "I love you."	Tara told John that she loved him.

Tapi, tentu saja, itu tidak selalu mudah. Berikut adalah beberapa aturan untuk membantu Anda.

Personal Object

Kami biasanya mengikuti tell dengan objek pribadi (orang yang kita ajak bicara). Biasanya menggunakan say tanpa objek pribadi.

Perhatikan contoh kalimat dibawah:

• She told me that she loved John.
• She said that she loved John.
• He told everybody that he had to leave.
• He said that he had to leave.

Say "to someone"

Kata say biasanya diikuti dengan frasa "to someone". 

Seperti contoh kalimat dibawah:

• He said to me that he was tired.
• Tara said to Ram that he had done very well.
• Anthony said to her, "I hope you come soon."
• "I'd like to sleep," she said to him quietly.

Direct speech

Kita bisa menggunakan say dengan direct speech. Kami hanya menggunakan tell dengan direct speech yang merupakan instruksi atau informasi:

• Amanda said, "Hello John. How are you?"
• "That's great," she said.
• He told her: "Open the door quietly."
• She told me, "I have never been to England."

Kita dapat menggunakan say dengan pertanyaan langsung, tetapi kita tidak bisa menggunakan tell:

• She said: "Do you love me?"
• The policeman said to the prisoner, "Where were you at 8pm?"

Reported Speech

Kita dapat menggunakan say dan tell untuk berbicara tentang informasi yang dilaporkan (reported information):

• She said that it was raining.
• She told me that she would call at 2pm.

Tetapi kita tidak dapat menggunakan say ataupun tell tentang pertanyaan yang dilaporkan (reported questions). Kita harus menggunakan ask (atau kata kerja serupa):

• She asked if I had ever been there.
• They asked what I wanted to eat.
• She asked where he lived.
• He asked if she wanted to go home.

Orders, advice

Kita dapat menggunakan tell + object + infinitive sebagai perintah atau saran:

• She told him to sit down.
• They told me not to wait.
• Tell Neil to have a holiday and forget her.

Phrases

Berikut adalah beberapa frasa dengan tell. Kita tidak bisa menggunakan say dengan frasa ini:

• tell (someone) a story
• tell (someone) a lie
• tell (someone) the truth
• tell the future (= to know what the future will bring)
• tell the time (= know how to read a clock)

Benar atau Salah

Perhatikan tabel dibawah ini, dan baca contoh penggunaan yang benar dan salah ini:

right	wrong	Because we cannot...
Tara told Jo to go away.	Tara said Jo to go away.	say someone to do something
Panita told me that she was hungry.	Panita said me that she was hungry.	say someone something
He said that he likes coffee.	He told that he likes coffee.	tell something
Tookta told me that she was coming.	Tookta told to me that she was coming.	tell to someone
Tookta said to me that she was coming.
Siriluck always tells lies.	Siriluck always says lies.	say a lie
Ram said to Nok: "Let's turn on the TV."	Ram told Nok: "Let's turn on the TV."	tell somebody "direct speech" (except instructions and information)
(Ram told Nok, "Turn on the TV.")
(Ram told Nok: "I was born in 1985.")
She asked if I wanted to come.	She said if I wanted to come.	say or tell a reported question
Took asked what I wanted to do.	Tookta told what I wanted to do.

Dengan memahami tabel diatas akan membuat Anda lebih mudah membedakan penggunaan say dan tell.