“Say me” or “say to me”: which is correct?
The short answer
The correct expressions are tell me or “say to me.” Tell is used when informing someone directly and takes a direct object without a preposition, while say requires the preposition to when specifying the person being spoken to.
Grammatical error
Why people get it wrong
People often make this error due to confusion between the verbs say and “tell.” In some languages, the equivalent of say me is grammatically correct, leading non-native English speakers to directly translate phrases from their native language into English without adjusting for English grammar rules.
Examples with say to me
- Tell me the story.
- Could you tell me your name?
- Please say to me what you think.
- He said to me that he was leaving.
- She wants to tell me something important.
Quick check
Please what you think.
The correct expressions are tell me or “say to me.” Tell is used when informing someone directly and takes a direct object without a preposition, while say requires the preposition to when specifying the person being spoken to.
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