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SAY & TELL – Reported Speech
"He said me...", "He told me...", or both? Find out the answer in this grammar lesson on how to use say and tell in reported speech, and avoid this very common mistake in English.
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Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.
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These questions without a reference character is hard to do.
Thanks Alex
Thank you, great teacher
exactly so hard i really don’t got it.
Alex said me, ups, I mean, Alex told me that I shouldn’t say said me, nor told that. Thanks Alex for a very nice explanation on that topic :)
haha… :) yeah… good explanation…
Tk you teacher Alex but I’m confused yet. I need ti exercice more and more. Lily Diaz from Brazil
i am happy with this website , i am learning english and this is wonderful. thank you a lot.
thank u teacher Alex. Im improving my English with you =D
nice quiz I got 9 of 10
Alex told us with this lesson ‘no more mistakes between say n’ tell’ in reported speech. is that right? so long n’ good bye teacher.
thank you teacher Alex you really helped me i have a quiz tomorrow wish me luck ;)
Very good lesson. Many mistakes are done for foreigners.
Hi,I want to tell you I like you So much and I can understand every thing you said .all love and respect to you my teacher
This lesson was great, as always…
I don’t agree with the answer of the 8th question of the quiz. ” Rosaline said she would be right back”. Wouldn’t it be ‘ Rasaline said THAT she wolud be right back”
You’d be right, but it’s okay to leave out the “that”.
I need to practice a little more !
Thank you , teacher.
Excellent lesson and nice video. :)
Hi Alex,
I have a question
Could I say the reported speech in the present?
For example:
Maria: It’s hot
Maria said to me that it’s hot
or in the future
Maria: I’m going to Mexico tomorrow
Maria said to me that she’s going to Mexico tomorrow.
Hi Samantha,
The tense in reported speech is one tense back in time from the tense in Quoted speech.
e.g;
Maria: it is hot.
Reported: Maria said to me that it was hot.
Maria: I am going to Mexico tomorrow.
Reported: Maria said to me that she was going to Mexico tomorrow.
However, often if the speaker is reporting something soon after it has been said, there is no change in the verb tense. This is also true if the reported statement is a general truth.
e.g;
Quoted: “The capital of Canada is Ottawa.”
Reported: Alex said that the capital of Canada is Ottawa.
:)
Best,
Mursaleen
Skype: mursaleen_1
yes it is, we have to move back one tense. how ever, we have to convert:” tomorrow” to ” the next/following day” also when we use reported speech. in conclusion, all the adverb of time need to be chaged to the write form. see ya!
hi everyone, I love your lesson, Alex. By the way, I am looking for someone to practise english through ” skype and yahoo”. If everyone have time, please feel free to add me as your friend, then we would have some conversations. my skype and yahoo id: turtle_cub2000. Please leave a message!. thanks
Thanks Alex.
Is this correct?
He said that it was cold.
Best,
Mursaleen
Skype: mursaleen_1
Hi Alex.
When we use reporting verb ‘ask’?
Best,
Mursaleen
Skype: mursaleen_1
Thanks Alex.
Hi Alex.
My name is Erhan,from Turkey
Thanks for lesson.I like your lesson and syle of teaching.
seems to be easy… but some mistakes in quiz… a kind of complex
Hey Alex,
Can you describe the difference between: say, tell, talk and speak?
Thanks Alex!
Now I understood the difference between tell and say.
your way of presntation is pety simple i realy admire it it was a eal hlp to us
I always said wrong way but this very important 4 me thanks ALEX
thak you alex your lesson is very nice and ı can understand your conversation and ı tested 9 out of 10 ı request some lesson about conjuctıons pleasee and more exampla on the board,,,
Hello,Alex.”Jack told everybody that if they couldn’t be together,they were going to die”,and not “Jack said…?
Thanks .
Hi Alex,
As usual, your lesson was great and helpful.
I really appreciate your effort. You probably need to think about the lessons and prepare it. It’s not so simple. It takes time…
Shay
Hi Alex,
I really like your site. It helps me a lot to learn english.
Thank you all for a good job!
Przesyłam pozdrowienia z polski ;-)
It was really good. Every single thing you teach is really usefull!
thanks a bunch MR Alex but i want ask about the difference between say and tell ,here when we use said to equal to told in meaning cause here we direct the information to somebody is this right?
I’m the champion in this game :)
I got 8 from 10 correct answers. Not so bad #eh :D
Hello Alex!
Great class. Now i thing never will forget!
See ou soon¹
Hello Alex!
You have a great class.Now i want to learn more english from your classes.
Alex, you are my fav. at Engvid.com. Thanks for Giving free Lesson.
http://www.rhcebog.com
I made just one stupid mistake but i am doing well !!! i have to take a TOEFL test in the next months and i wish that these lessons will help me improve my skills ! thank you very much Pr. Alex !
thank u very much…
Thank you. I wish I didn’t forget this class!
thanks
Thanks a lot for a v good lesson.
You scored 10 out of 10.
Very enlightening class !
I´ve never paid attention on that.
Thanks, Alex.
Alex, I’ve been learning a lot with you. Your website its one of the best that I’m using to learn English. Congratulations.
Sidnei from Brazi
I did wrong, my country is Brazil.
Sidnei.
thank u so mach
My thank goes to our dearest teachers, I say thank you for your help,Thank for everything you do us, now I start to learn some mistakes in my grammar tenses because my grammar is poor and terrible but I desire to enhance it, also I have a big problem in vocabulary so I want to increase my vocabularies
Please would you teach us the animals sounds (mew,etc) objects sounds, onomatopeas. I didn’t see explanations in engvid. Thank you very much. Kind regards
what does mean give me and give to me
Thanks teacher alex!… This lesson nice.. :)
Why “Jack told everybody that if they couldn’t live together, they were going to die alone.” is correct when Jack said it many people?
some thing about noun
I’m from Sri Lanka. Thanks a lot Alex. These English lessons are great for me. I’d also like to ask you a question.
When we ask a question to know, what somebody is doing. Like schooling, doing a job etc. In this type of question, what’s the tense, we should use ? Present simple or Present progressive. As a eg- 1. What do you do? 2. What are you doing?
I want to say that is it a grat lesson! :)
*great :)
Hai, thank you Alex for the lesson. If you don’t mind I have a question. Sometimes in a text i heard phrase “Mind you, ….” what does it exactly mean? I look forward to hearing the answer from you soon. Thanks! :D
you’re fantastic. i’ve got learned so much with you. Really thanks.
nice explanation ,thank you
Hi Alex,
Your classes are great!!!
Thank you Alex
This is very useful for my students. Thanks a lot
this lesson help me understand easily
i love tis leson thx teacher alex u are famose.<3 :0
hi iam zizi from jordan i want to be agoood speaker of english i want t say to u that this lesson is very amasing leson thx teacher alex :) <3 :)
I’m from Afghanistn, tnx MR. Alex from your useful lessons,I would like to say you’re an excellent teacher.thanks alot.
It’s the first time that I catch the difference between to say and to tell. Thanks a lot, Alex!
I wanna chat with U “Annadema” for improving English , R u interested to speak English with me.
I had two mistakes, well I hope to improve. Thank you Alex.
Thank you for your lesson.
I’ve realized I made some mistake how to use talk and say.
it’s a very understandable lesson , wow
i thanx for alex it;s a great lesson , coz i never heard differance between told and said. so he told me to watch the engvid, they said to people watch the engvid. am i correct sir thanx
Thank you !! now I know how to use correctly told and said…. very helpful.
Thank you very much Alex, I can say that you’re a good teacher and the exercise was very helpful as well.Take Care
It was well explained
nice, thanks for this lesson
very gud …thank you for the lesson
Rosalinde: “I’ll be right back.”
Rosalinde said she would be right back.
why she said??? if she talk to me directly
Hi Leo,
If Rosalinde had talked to you directly, the third answer would have to be: “Rosalinde told ME she would be right back.”
So, the first option is the only one that is correct.
I hope I could help !!!
Best wishes!
Mr. alex said to us how to use said or told in speaking.
Is it right?
I think it is so easy after this lesson.
thanks
Thank you Alex, it’s really very important
Thank you Alex for this useful explanation!
Alex told me that stop to say “said me” if anyone give you instruction directly .
Alex,
i am little bit confuse between “said me that” and “said that”,similarly “told me that” and “told that” ?
hell sir i’m want inprove my english.
how i speak english and how tell to another person.
Thank you so much!
thanks Alex for your kind explanation,
Dear Alex, Your lesson on how to use words say , tell , told, said is 80% of new information for me . Thank you. I did quiz test , I scored 7 out of 10.. Thank you for your great lesson. Tashi Delek.. Topgyal
how i can start tolk anybudy
one day my teacher in my class and she said to me what you help me complet my work.I said that why not.Next day she came and aske me you see my sim card.No. you wil find my sim so reaturn me it’s not me.Next day teacher gave a report some time after i went twoward teacher for chek my work.My teacher mobile sim fall between my foots.I pick it and gave her.
some word miss in my note (1st is came ,will,after some time)
thanks alot (:
7 out of 10 some room for improvement ;-)
Thanks!!!
Hi Alex, I want like to ask why use ‘to’ after can use ‘ing’, for example: ‘is restricted to being mere. what kind of grammer in use and what is the condition for this. thank you
teacher please upload again more leassons.. i am still confuse about english language.. please teach to me about the words bellow :
slow – slowlly
carefull – carefully
and more..
what is deferent about it..
i scored 7 out of 10 i have to study harder… thanks a lot Alex!
It was very useful.
Thank you!
i got 8 out of 10 not bad………..:)
U r rocking Sir, I got to know the different after b/t tell and say watching this video….
After “Tell” can we “To”?
I just did one mistake out of ten……
once again bundle of Thanks sir….
Hai alex, All the lessons are great!
I cant understand the difference between “due to “&”owing to “.I get really confused and do not know when to use which one.
please help me out.
Great lesson. As always I love Alex’s lessons. Keep It Simple.
Hi teacher Alex! got 9 out 10…something is wrong with my laptop.
I’m sure I answered all ten items
but somehow the prompt message showed
item 10 wasn’t answered..gd day n
take care
Thank you Mr. Alex
great, i have been able to understand all. thanks
how can we use had
Great ,great
thanks Alex
Hi Alex, thanks for the lesson! I wanted to ask if there is a difference in meaning between “I like the way you speak” and “I like the way you talk”, and if they both are correct. I know that “to speak” is used when one person is speaking and the others are listening, and “to talk” is used when there is a conversation taking place between two people or more.
Another confusing thing is that I always thought it is correct to say to speak WITH and to talk TO, but very often I hear people say, “May I speak to…” or “talk with”. So which one is correct or what does it depend on if these prepositions are interchangeable? Please, help me understand! Thanks!
i undersland thnks
thanks
thanks
Thanks james 10/10
8 out of 10 not bad but perfect score could make satisfaction.
Greetings from Poland !
thanx Mr Alex
thanks!!! Alex! very helpful lecture^^
hi teacher alex how are you.. i will like to know the mean of even when can i use because i been hearing people use this word but i dont know exactly how use it.. tnks a lot.. by the way youre a good teacher..
wawww… I’m always impressed by ur lessons, thanks Alex
i have got 5/10 i am very thankful for these kind of quiz,,,,,,,,,,,
“Mam told me I may fly to grandma on the holiday.
The reporter said that It was car accident in the night. ”
Alex, thanks a lot. It was a very helpful lesson.
Alex, thanks for your help
Sir alex . I really impress to your teaching style and you are my favorite teacher in all . Sir please teach me how i use word “come up with ” in sentences ..I will wait to your answer . Bye
what is the reported speech :Question of the
1. are u living in your old neighborhood?
2. are you still living alone?
3.what are you doing for a living now?
4.
would you like to play tennis with me again, like old times?
plz can you help me with that !!
i really need this now tnx
can’t answer it
thank you. i have tried to find this slight difference between tell and say. and i found here.
Thanks Alex.
However, I am still not very clear about the usage
For E.g: My answer was Third in below case whereas correct answer was First. Unable to understand:
Rosalinde: “I’ll be right back.”
Rosalinde said she would be right back.
Rosalinde said me she would be right back.
Rosalinde told she would be right back.
Rosalinde told to me that she would be right back.
Great video Mr.. 10/10 in my case,but i think you should explain beginners thats in reporetd speeches ,sometimes the modal changes can/could , will/ would and others dont change…just that… good luck Mr…
carlos,lima..peru
7 out of 10 hehe
I love this site
I know!!!! Me too!!!
Me too! You are the best! Thank you for this opportunity to learn English with so great teachers!
It clear to me now, the difference between say and tell (said & told)
“They don’t get a cookie”…? I didn’t know this expression! I want a cookie! But I got 9 out 10 at the quiz, do I deserve one all the same?!
It.s very clear, i really got it.
Hi, thank you very much, I did not know the difference between the words , now I hope i’ll know how to use them corrctly.
thanks again:)
Hi, thank you very much and I love this site
I really love your lessons Alex.
thank you
Hi!
I watched your explain but I feel doubt.
I understand that say is a discurs undirect..e told is direct, but to make the exercicie I don´t get.
thank you for this lesson , but the quiz is a little bit complex and it made me confused …..
thx…you are very good teacher
I’ve got 9 of 10 (question 10 failed)
Anyway, sentence “Jack told me that if they couldn’t live together, they were going to die alone.” is correct grammatically, I think. Right?
thanks,alx u r teaching technique is to good….
nice but still confused with “said me” and “said to me”….please throw some light on it…..
thanks you are a good teacher
thanks for making us correct such common grammatical mistakes.
Very clear! thanks
very clear, Alex!
THANKS FOR THIS LESSON..YOU ARE A GREAT TEACHER ALEX !
yaaaaaayyy.. i got 10 correct out of 10.
Thanks dear teacher Alex I would like to tell that sometimes I get confused especial when we talk to some body but I am doing very well while doing the exams I mean how to used lit during the conversation not only exercise
Hi Alex thanks again I got ten out of ten right great teaching
Thanks for all of your support, guys!
For reporting questions we usually use the verb “ask.”
“He asked me who/what/where/when/why/how/which…”
sir if the question was not ask with W.H words then how can we say
great material it really helped me.
Alex, thank a lot. Your lessons useful for me. Please don’t stop and go on.
Thank you Alex, I think it is a little confuse, but I got 9/10. I can’t understand when I need to use THAT e.g.: “Rosaline said she would be…” or “Rosaline said THAT she would be…”
he always________ lies. we will use tell or say
Awesome lesson Alex…everything understood….thank you very much
it’s good but still i am confused :D
Hello Alex.
Friend of mine told me that she liked your hair style
And I told her so did I
You got 10 correct out of 10.
:D
Thanks!!!
perfect thank you very much
It is a little bit complicate but It’s very interesting
thanks :)
thank u so much alex…helped me so much for my exam
My English will be better in the future.
thank you very much!
thank Alex. At third question, i think we need to change “is” to ‘was”, right?