say
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.to use your voice to express thoughts, opinions, or information.
v.to utter words so as to convey information, an opinion, a feeling, or an intention.
Simple“I forgot to say thank you for the lovely gift you sent me.”
In context“The witness was asked to say exactly what she saw during the minutes leading up to the accident.”
UsageOften followed by a 'that' clause or direct speech.
Teacher's tipRemind students that 'say' focuses on the message, while 'tell' focuses on the recipient.
PitfallHe said me that he was tired. He told me that he was tired.The verb 'say' focuses on the words spoken and does not take a person as a direct object; use 'tell' if you want to mention the listener directly.
- 02 A2 Elementary
v.to give information in a written form, like a sign or a book.
v.to indicate or communicate information through written or printed text.
Simple“The sign says that the museum is closed on Mondays.”
In context“The instructions clearly say that the device must be fully charged before its first use.”
UsageCommonly used with inanimate subjects like 'the sign' or 'the clock'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to imagine or assume something is true for a moment.
v.to assume or suppose something as a basis for argument or suggestion.
Simple“Let's say you win the lottery; what would you buy first?”
In context“Say we decide to move the headquarters to London; how would that affect our current tax liabilities?”
UsageOften used in the imperative form to introduce a hypothetical scenario.
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.the right or power to influence a decision.
n.the opportunity to express a view or the power to influence a final decision.
Simple“Employees want to have a say in how the company is run.”
In context“Although the board members debated the proposal for hours, the CEO ultimately had the final say on the matter.”
UsageUsually appears in the phrase 'to have a say' or 'to have the final say'.
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adv.used to suggest an example or an approximate number.
adv.used to introduce an example or an approximate amount; functions as a sentence adverb.
Simple“We could meet at a café, say at three o'clock?”
In context“If you were to invest a small amount, say five hundred dollars, the potential returns could still be significant.”
UsageTypically placed before the noun or phrase it modifies.
Synonyms - 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
interj.a word used to get someone's attention before asking a question.
interj.an exclamation used to attract attention or express surprise.
Simple“Say, have you seen my car keys anywhere?”
In context“Say, that is a remarkable piece of architecture across the street.”
UsageUsed at the beginning of a sentence.
Teacher's tipThis is quite old-fashioned or specific to certain American dialects; students might hear it in older films.
say vs mention — Say focuses on the words spoken, while mention is a brief, incidental reference to a topic.
say vs tell — Tell requires a personal indirect object, while say focuses on the information itself and cannot be followed directly by a person.
From Middle English seyen, from Old English secgan, from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan, from Proto-Germanic *sagjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷ-h₁-yé-, a suffixed o-grade form of *sekʷ- (“to say”).
Cognates include North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie, West Frisian sizze, Alemannic ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä, Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn, Luxembourgish soen, Faroese siga, and Jamtish segi. The adverb and interjection derive from the verb.
From Middle French saie, itself from Latin saga, the plural of sagum — a military cloak.
Aphetic form of assay.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.