Si alguna vez has escrito "She said me that..." en inglés, ya sabes de qué va este artículo. Es probablemente el error más frecuente de hispanohablantes con say y tell — y no es el único.
Los dos verbos significan algo parecido a "decir" en español, pero funcionan de forma diferente en cuanto a la estructura que llevan. Una vez que entiendes esa diferencia, ya no vuelves a confundirlos.
Para ver cómo encajan en el sistema completo del reported speech, la guía Reported Speech en Inglés te muestra todos los usos con contexto.
La diferencia fundamental: objeto de persona
La regla más importante:
- Say → no lleva objeto de persona directamente
- Tell → lleva objeto de persona directamente (sin preposición)
| Correcto | Incorrecto |
|---|---|
| She said she was tired. | ❌ She said me she was tired. |
| She told me she was tired. | ❌ She told she was tired. |
| He said to me that he would come. | ❌ He said me that he would come. |
| He told us the news. | ❌ He told to us the news. |
Say puede ir seguido de to + persona, pero el objeto de persona nunca va directamente después de say:
- ✓ She said to him that she was leaving.
- ❌ She said him that she was leaving.
Tell lleva el objeto de persona directamente, sin preposición:
- ✓ She told him she was leaving.
- ❌ She told to him she was leaving.
Say: cuándo y cómo usarlo
1. Say + (that) + frase
La estructura más frecuente en reported speech.
- He said (that) he would be late.
- She said she didn't understand.
- They said the meeting was cancelled.
That es opcional y muy frecuente se omite en conversación.
2. Say + to + persona + frase
Cuando quieres mencionar a quién se dijo algo.
- She said to me that she was leaving.
- He said to the group that the project had changed.
Esta estructura es correcta pero menos frecuente que tell + persona.
3. Say + palabras textuales (direct speech)
- "I'll be there at nine," she said.
- He said, "Can you help me?"
Con direct speech (comillas), say es el verbo más neutro y frecuente.
4. Say en expresiones fijas
- say hello / goodbye / sorry / thank you
- say yes / no
- say a prayer
- say a word
Tell: cuándo y cómo usarlo
1. Tell + persona + (that) + frase
La estructura más común.
- She told me (that) she was moving.
- He told us the meeting was cancelled.
- They told me they would call back.
El objeto de persona (me, us, him, her, them, you, somebody) es casi siempre obligatorio.
2. Tell + persona + to + infinitivo (órdenes y peticiones)
- She told me to wait outside.
- He told them not to worry.
- The doctor told her to rest for a week.
Esta es la estructura para reportar órdenes y peticiones. Importante: say no funciona así.
- ❌ She said me to wait.
- ✓ She told me to wait.
3. Tell + persona + información directa
- Can you tell me the time?
- She told him her name.
- He told us the whole story.
4. Expresiones fijas con tell (sin objeto de persona)
Hay un grupo de expresiones donde tell no lleva objeto de persona:
- tell the truth / a lie → She always tells the truth.
- tell a story / joke → He told a great story.
- tell the time → Can you tell the time yet? (saber leer la hora)
- tell the difference → I can't tell the difference between the two.
- tell someone's fortune → She claims she can tell your fortune.
Comparativa directa
| Estructura | Say | Tell |
|---|---|---|
| + (that) + frase | ✓ She said (that) she was tired | ✓ She told me (that) she was tired |
| + persona directamente | ✗ | ✓ She told me |
| + to + persona | ✓ She said to me | ✗ |
| + to + infinitivo (orden) | ✗ | ✓ She told me to go |
| + palabras textuales | ✓ She said, "..." | menos común |
| En expresiones fijas | hello, sorry, yes... | truth, lie, story... |
En reported speech: cuál elegir
Cuando reportas lo que alguien dijo, tienes opciones:
Sin mencionar a quién: usa say.
- She said she was going to be late.
- He said the weather would improve.
Mencionando a quién: usa tell (o say to).
- She told me she was going to be late.
- He told us the weather would improve.
- She said to me she was going to be late. (menos frecuente)
Para órdenes y peticiones: solo tell (o verbos más específicos).
- He told me to call him when I arrived.
- She told them not to be late.
Errores frecuentes de hispanohablantes
"Decir" en español funciona para los dos contextos, pero en inglés no:
| Error frecuente | Corrección |
|---|---|
| She said me the news | She told me the news |
| He told to me that... | He told me that... |
| She said me to wait | She told me to wait |
| He said that me I was wrong | He told me I was wrong |
| They told to us | They told us |
Otros verbos de reporte útiles
Say y tell son los básicos, pero hay muchos otros que añaden matiz:
- Ask (pedir, preguntar): She asked me to help.
- Advise (aconsejar): He advised me to take the train.
- Warn (advertir): She warned us not to be late.
- Promise (prometer): He promised he would come.
- Explain (explicar): She explained that the system had changed.
- Admit (admitir): He admitted that he had made a mistake.
- Suggest (sugerir): She suggested going by taxi.
- Deny (negar): He denied knowing anything about it.
Estos verbos son los que marcan la diferencia entre un nivel B1 y un B2+ — aportan el matiz que say y tell no pueden dar solos.
La clave para no confundir say y tell es muy simple: si mencionas a quién le dices algo, usa tell. Si no lo mencionas, usa say. Esa regla cubre el 90% de los casos.
🚀 Sigue mejorando tu inglés
Si te ha servido esta guía, te recomendamos profundizar con nuestro Guía Completa de Gramática Inglesa o volver a nuestra sección principal para seguir aprendiendo.
Habla Inglés con Confianza en 90 Días
Únete a la plataforma de aprendizaje de inglés más avanzada. Práctica ilimitada con IA personalizada según tu nivel.
Únete a más de 2,000 estudiantes satisfechos
Escrito por David Torres
Filólogo inglés y preparador oficial de exámenes Cambridge con 11 años de experiencia. Ha ayudado a más de 500 estudiantes a superar los exámenes B2 First, C1 Advanced y C2 Proficiency. Experto en gramática avanzada, reported speech, voz pasiva y estructuras de nivel C1-C2.
