When do I use 说 vs 告诉?

Use 说 when the listener is not important or not specified. Use 告诉 when you need to specify the person being told — the recipient must appear as an object.

Can I use 说 with a person after it?

Yes, but you need a preposition like 对 (对某人说) or 跟 (跟某人说) to indicate the listener. For example, “他对我说” means “he said to me”. 告诉 does not need a preposition; the person is a direct object.

Is 告诉 more formal than 说?

No, both are neutral and commonly used in daily conversation. 说 is more versatile and frequent, but 告诉 is the standard way to express ‘tell someone something’.

Easily confusedHSK 2

说 vs 告诉 (shuō vs gàosu): to say or to tell

The key difference is that 告诉 always requires a person as the listener (tell someone), while 说 can be used without specifying a listener. Use 告诉 when you have a specific recipient in mind; use 说 for general speaking or when the listener is not mentioned.

Both 说 (shuō) and 告诉 (gàosu) mean to communicate information verbally, but they differ in structure and focus. 说 emphasizes the act of speaking or the content itself, and it can be used with or without a listener. 告诉 emphasizes informing a specific person, so the recipient must always be stated. Understanding this distinction helps choose the correct verb for natural Chinese sentences.

Quando usar cada um

说shuō

to say

Use 说 to express the act of speaking, quoting someone, or stating information without necessarily specifying a listener. It can introduce direct speech (e.g., 他说：“你好。”) or indirect speech (e.g., 他说他很忙). It is also used in fixed expressions like 说话 (to talk) and 说明 (to explain).

告诉gào sù

to tell (inform)

Use 告诉 when you want to inform or tell something to a specific person. The recipient must be stated as an object directly after 告诉, followed by the information (e.g., 告诉我一个秘密). It cannot be used without a listener, and it typically introduces indirect speech rather than direct quotes.

Visão geral

	说	告诉
Requires a listener	No (optional)	Yes (mandatory)
Can introduce a direct quotation	Yes	No (usually indirect)
Common sentence structure	说 + (content)	告诉 + person + content
Can be used alone	Yes (e.g., 你说)	No (needs person)
Requires a preposition before listener	Yes (e.g., 对…说)	No (direct object)

Exemplos

说
他说：“你好。”
Tā shuō: "nǐ hǎo."
He said, “Hello.”
Direct quote; no listener required.
告诉
他告诉我一个秘密。
Tā gào sù wǒ yí gè mì mì.
He told me a secret.
Requires recipient (我).
说
你说什么？
Nǐ shuō shén me?
What did you say?
No specific listener; general question.
告诉
我告诉你了，不要迟到。
Wǒ gào sù nǐ le, bú yào chí dào.
I told you, don't be late.
Recipient (你) is essential.
说
他对我说他很忙。
Tā duì wǒ shuō tā hěn máng.
He said to me he is busy.
With preposition 对 to add listener; not needed for 告诉.

Erros comuns

Using 说 instead of 告诉 when a recipient is needed: ✗ “我说他一个消息” → ✓ “我告诉他一个消息”
Using 告诉 without a recipient: ✗ “他告诉” is incomplete → must say “他告诉我” or similar
Using 说 in contexts where informing a specific person is key: “他说我开会时间” is ambiguous → better “他告诉我开会时间”
Wrong word order with 告诉: ✗ “他告诉那个消息我” → ✓ “他告诉我那个消息”

Perguntas frequentes

When do I use 说 vs 告诉?: Use 说 when the listener is not important or not specified. Use 告诉 when you need to specify the person being told — the recipient must appear as an object.
Can I use 说 with a person after it?: Yes, but you need a preposition like 对 (对某人说) or 跟 (跟某人说) to indicate the listener. For example, “他对我说” means “he said to me”. 告诉 does not need a preposition; the person is a direct object.
Is 告诉 more formal than 说?: No, both are neutral and commonly used in daily conversation. 说 is more versatile and frequent, but 告诉 is the standard way to express ‘tell someone something’.