Qual a diferença entre Say e Talk?

Qual a diferença entre Say e Talk?
Está confuso sobre quando usar as palavras Say, Tell, Speak e Talk em inglês? Sem problemas! A postagem de hoje vai te ensinar as expressões mais comuns para demonstrar as diferenças entre Say, Talk, Tell e Speak. Pronto? Vamos começar!

Say, Talk, Tell e Speak são quatro palavras muito semelhantes que podem ser difíceis de usar corretamente em inglês! Os erros são comuns quando não há equivalentes exatos em seu idioma nativo ou quando as regras de uso são diferentes. Vejamos as diferenças entre Say, Talk, Tell e Speak, explicando como cada palavra é usada separadamente.

Qual a diferença entre Say, Tell, Speak e Talk? Veja a tabela.

Say	Tell	Speak	Talk
To speak about something , often reporting on what has been said.	To deliver information to someone.	(formal) To exchange information about something.	(informal) To exchange information about something.
We do not include an object	We include an object	Can be used when talking about languages.	Cannot be used when talking about languages.
Does not require a second person to engage with.	Does not require a second person to engage with.	Requires a second person to engage with.	Requires a second person to engage with.
Mostly interchangeable with tell.	Mostly interchangeable with say.	Mostly interchangeable with talk.	Mostly interchangeable with speak.
The grammatical structure of the sentence must be altered.	The grammatical structure of the sentence must be altered.	The grammatical structure of the sentence can be the same.	The grammatical structure of the sentence can be the same.

How to use SAY

I say – He/She/It says – We/They say
I will say – I am saying – I said – I have said

When we use ‘say’, we do not use an object (e.g. me/them/you) immediately after the verb. The verb ‘say’ is used when we quote people directly and also when we give instructions.

Example:

• ‘John said he would be back soon.’
• ‘The TV weatherman said it would sunny today.’
• ‘I won’t say this twice!  – Please be ready to leave in 5 minutes!’

How to use TELL

I tell – She/He/It tells – They/We tell
I will tell – I am telling – I told – I have told

When we use ‘tell’, we also include the object (e.g. you/her/us) immediately after the verb. The verb ‘tell’ is used when we say something to someone, and is commonly used when giving an order or instruction.

Example:

• ‘I told my son to wash his hands.’
• ‘The teacher told the class to put their masks on.’
• ‘You forgot to tell me to bring a umbrella!’

How to use SPEAK

I speak – She/He/It speaks – They/We speak
I will speak – I am speaking – I spoke – I have spoken

We use the verb ‘speak’ (instead of ‘talk’) and when we use the noun (speech) we are in a more formal situation and wish to emphasise that something is important.

Example:

• ‘We need to speak about your attendance this week!’ (more formal than ‘talk about’)
• ‘John will be speaking at the business conference next week.’ (more formal and inportant than ‘give a talk on…’)

We can also use ‘speak’ to describe verbal fluency or knowledge of a language.

How to use TALK

I talk – She/He/It talks – They/We talk
I will talk – I am talking – I talked – I have talked

Think of ‘talk’ as a slightly more formal word for ‘chat’. We use the verb ‘talk’ when we are in a more relaxed setting or when we are among friends in a conversational situation.

Example:

• ‘Sorry, who were you talking to before?’
• ‘I was talking with my dad the other day and we…’
• ‘I love chatting with my wife over lunch.

Often ‘speak’ and ‘talk’ can be used interchangeably to give the same meaning.

• I will speak/talk with you about this subject on Tuesday.
• We can speak/talk about the new project next time.

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