If you’re having difficulty with using these words, don’t worry. We are going to show you their common use and teach you a few popular expressions with each of them.

Say Vs Tell

SAY­

Say means to speak words. The main meaning of say is to “use your voice to express something in words.” Say is also used for exact quotes.

“He said he was going to be late.” – Azt mondta, hogy késni fog.

“What did he say?” – Mit mondott?

“When he said he was leaving, we all got really sad.” – Mindnyájan jól elszomorodtunk, amikor azt mondta, hogy elmegy.

When we use “say”, generally the recipient of the action is not as important as what we have to say.

Say is also used to express opinions:

I wouldn’t say that he’s a great guitarist [=I don’t think he’s a great guitarist]. – Nem mondanám rá, hogy akkora nagy gitáros.

They say that you should drink eight glasses of water a day. – Azt mondják, hogy naponta nyolc pohár vizet meg kéne inni.

If we use an object with ‘say’, we always have to use the preposition “to,” for example:

“He said to Steve that that he was going to be late. – Azt mondta Steve-nek, hogy késni fog.

“I said to him that I couldn’t go.” – Azt mondtam neki, hogy nem tudok menni.

TELL

In comparison with ‘say’ we need to use an object when we use ‘tell’. The main meaning of tell is to “say something to someone.” Tell is used to instruct or inform. Do not use it for quotes.

“I told you about the party.” – Beszéltem neked a partiról.

“Have you told him the news?” – Elmondtad neki, hogy mi újság?

Please tell us your name and occupation. – Mondd meg kérlek a nevedet, és hogy mi a foglalkozásod!

He was told to go home. – Azt mondták neki, hogy menjen haza.

When we use ‘to’ with tell we give someone an order or make a strong request.

“I told you to buy me a drink.” – Mondtam neked, hogy vegyél nekem egy italt.

“Didn’t I tell you to mind your own business?” – Nem megmondtam neked, hogy a saját dolgoddal foglalkozz?

Talk Vs Speak

Speak and talk are synonyms and in most cases interchangeable. The main difference between the two would be that “speak” is used in more formal situations and “talk” is for more informal conversations.

TALK

“Are you talking to me?” – Hozzám beszélsz?

“I was talking to him about the sightseeing event.” – Beszéltem neki a városnézésről.

“The movie was really good but people kept talking during the best parts.” – Igazán jó volt a film, de az emberek végig dumáltak a legjobb részek alatt.

“This guy talks forever.” – Ez a fickó képtelen befejezni a beszédet.

“I need to talk to you about last night.” – Beszélnem kell veled a tegnap estéről.

“Did he talk to you about this trip?” – Beszélt veled erről a kirándulásról?

SPEAK

Speak is used when we are referring to languages or when conversations are more of a monologue.

“How many languages do you speak?” – Hány nyelvet beszélsz?

“Can you speak English fluently?” – Tudsz folyékonyan angolul?

“He was speaking to his employees about the new services.” – Beszélt az alkalmazottainak az új szolgáltatásokról.

As you can see, “speak” sounds more formal than talk. If someone said that they wanted to speak to me I would consider it more important than if they had said they wanted to talk to me.

Expressions with Say, Tell, Talk, Speak

Say

Anything you say, I won’t argue with you. – Bármit is mondasz, nem fogok veled vitatkozni.

Easy for you to say. – Könnyű azt mondani.

Needless to say. – Nyilvánvaló, mondani sem kell.

She says hi. – Üdvözletét küldi.

Tell

Something tells me that…-  Valami azt súgja nekem, hogy….

To tell you the truth. – Az igazat megvallva.

You never can tell. – Sohasem tudhatod.

Talk

Money talks. – A pénz beszél.

Look who’s talking. – Még te beszélsz? (Abban a jelentésben, hogy ő sem különb a másiknál.)

Talk shop. – hivatalos, üzleti dolgokról beszélni

He talked me into it. – Ő beszélt rá arra a dologra.

Speak

Actions speak louder than words. – A tettek többet érnek, mint a szavak.

Speak your mind. – Mondd ki, amit gondolsz!

So to speak. – Hogy úgy mondjam…

Can you speak up? – Tudnál hangosabban beszélni?

Source: reallifeglobal.com