TKG English Learner's Dictionary

say

sayverb

American /seɪ/ British /seɪ/ The forms says and said have a short vowel: sez and sed.
third-person singular says past tense said past participle said present participle saying
very commondefining vocabulary

You say something when you put it into words, and from that say is used for what writing and signs tell people, for giving an opinion, and for supposing a case.

  1. speak wordsspeak words, or express a thought, a feeling, or a piece of information in words

    transitive [T] verb + direct speech [V + speech] verb + that-clause [V + that] verb + object [V + obj] verb + object + preposition + object [V + obj + prep + obj] verb + wh-clause [V + wh]

    Collocations

    verb + noun say a word, say hello, say goodbye, say thank you, say sorry, say something
    verb + adverb say something quietly, say something softly, say something firmly, say something again
    phrase say something to someone, as I said, as you say, I have to say, let me say, say to yourself

    Synonyms state (state is formal); remark

    Compare tell (tell takes the person as its object: tell me the news, but say it to me); speak; talk

    1. aspeak words that you have learned, such as a prayer or the alphabet

      transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj]

      Collocations

      verb + noun say a prayer, say your lines, say the alphabet

    2. bspeak words in a particular language, or pronounce a word

      transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] verb + wh-clause [V + wh]

      Collocations

      phrase how do you say, say something in English, say a word correctly

    For translators (sense 1)

    Grammar trap The person spoken to is never a direct object: say something to someone, not say someone something. Many languages allow both; English uses tell for the pattern with the person as object.

  2. give an opiniongive your opinion, or say what you think is true or should happen

    transitive [T] verb + that-clause [V + that] verb + wh-clause [V + wh] verb + object [V + obj]

    Collocations

    phrase I'd say, I must say, I can't say, it's hard to say, I wouldn't say, there's a lot to be said for

    Compare claim (claim suggests that others may not believe it)

  3. of writing or signsshow words, a number, or a piece of information that people can read

    transitive [T] verb + direct speech [V + speech] verb + that-clause [V + that] verb + object [V + obj] verb + to-infinitive [V + to-inf]

    Collocations

    noun + verb the sign says, the letter says, the label says, the rules say, the clock says
    phrase it says here, what does it say, it doesn't say

    Synonyms read (the sign reads: more formal)

    For translators (sense 3)

    Meaning across languages Writing, signs, and instruments say things in English (the sign says, my watch says). Many languages use be written, show, or stand for these; do not use the speech verb.

  4. show or suggestshow what someone or something is like, or suggest that something is true

    transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj]

    Collocations

    phrase say a lot about, say something about, say nothing about, say much about, say it all

    Synonyms show

  5. supposesuppose that something is true, as an example

    Used in the imperative to introduce an example or an imagined case: Say you won a lot of money.

    transitive [T] verb + that-clause [V + that]

    Collocations

    phrase let's say, shall we say

    Synonyms suppose

    1. aused with a number, an amount, or an example to show that it is not exact

      intransitive [I]

      Collocations

      phrase say, for example

  6. be reportedbe reported or believed by people in general

    transitive [T] usually passive [usually passive] verb + that-clause [V + that]

    Collocations

    phrase be said to be, it is said that, they say, people say, so they say

    For translators (sense 6)

    Grammar trap The passive with a to-infinitive (she is said to be rich) is common in English and has no active form of the same shape; many languages use an impersonal form such as one says or it is told.

Phrases

to say the least

and in fact much more than that

Added after a description to show that the real situation is stronger than the words you have used.

needless to say

as you would expect

that said

even so, although what I have just said is true

Used to add a point that goes against the one before it. Having said that means the same.

you can say that again informal

I completely agree with you

say no more informal

I understand completely, so you do not need to explain

easier said than done

harder to do than to talk about

to say nothing of something

and also something else that is just as important or worse

I'd say

in my opinion, or my guess is

Used to give an opinion or a guess in a soft way; short for I would say.

who's to say

nobody can be sure

what do you say informal

do you agree to this?

Used to ask whether someone accepts a suggestion; the suggestion can follow with to: What do you say to a walk? Parents also say it to a child who has forgotten to say please or thank you.

For translators (phrase)

Cultural background Many parents in English-speaking countries teach children to say please and thank you from an early age and prompt them with What do you say? when they forget.

say when informal

tell me when to stop

Said when you are pouring a drink or serving food for someone and want them to tell you when they have enough.

you don't say informal

used to answer news, often in a joking way to show that it is not surprising at all

Said in reply to news, sometimes in real surprise but more often to show that the news is not surprising at all.

  • "Kim's late again." "You don't say." (not surprised)

I'll say informal

yes, very much so

  • "Was the test hard?" "I'll say!"

as they say

as people often say

Used after a well-known saying or phrase to show that you know it is a common expression.

Word family

Choosing between say · tell · speak · talk

Say is for the words themselves, and the person spoken to takes to (She said hello to everyone). Tell takes the person as its object and is used for giving information, stories, and orders (She told me the news. Tell him to wait.). Speak is for using your voice or a language, and for a serious or formal exchange (He spoke softly. Do you speak English? I must speak to the manager.). Talk is for a conversation between people (We talked for hours.). Say and tell usually center on a message, though it can be left implicit (What did she say? Tell me!); speak and talk can be used with no message at all, for the ability or act of talking itself (He can't speak. We talked for hours.).

Usage

After a quotation, the verb can come before a noun subject ("Fine," said Kim) but not before a pronoun ("Fine," she said). In writing, said is the ordinary reporting verb and does not need to be replaced by fancier verbs. In speech, Sorry, what did you say? is the normal way to ask someone to repeat something.

Common mistakes

He said me that he was tired. He told me that he was tired.
Say never takes the person as its object; use tell, or say it to me.
She said me hello. She said hello to me.
The person spoken to takes to after say.
He said that 'I am tired.' He said, 'I am tired.'
Direct speech does not take that; either quote the exact words or report them: He said that he was tired.

For translators

Meaning across languages Say and tell often translate to one verb. In English the difference is mostly grammatical: say goes with the words or the message, tell with the person receiving it. Say is also used for what signs and writing show, and for giving an example (say, ten people), uses that many languages give to other words.
Grammar trap The person spoken to is never a direct object: say something to someone, said to me. Say takes direct speech, a that-clause, or a question-word clause. Say to do something (informal) reports an order; tell someone to do something is the neutral form.
Pronunciation trap Says is pronounced sez and said is sed, with a short vowel; only say and saying keep the vowel of day.