say
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say
(sā)say
(seɪ)say
(seɪ)say
(seɪ)v. said, say•ing,
adv., n., interj. v.t.
say
When you say something, you use your voice to produce words. The past tense and -ed participle of say is said /sed/.
You use say when you are quoting directly the words that someone has spoken.
In writing, you can use many other verbs instead of say when you are quoting someone's words.
In spoken English, you usually use say.
Be Careful!
In speech, you mention the person and say before quoting their words. Don't say, for example, ''What shall we do?' he said to me' in spoken English.
You can use it after said to refer to the words spoken by someone.
If you are referring in a general way to what someone has expressed, rather than their actual words, use so, not 'it'. For example, say 'I disagree with him and I said so'. Don't say 'I disagree with him and I said it'.
You can report what someone has said without quoting them directly using say and a that-clause.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'say' with an indirect object. For example, don't say 'She said me that Mr Rai had left.' Say 'She said that Mr Rai had left' or 'She told me that Mr Rai had left.'
If you are mentioning the hearer as well as the speaker, you usually use tell, rather than 'say'. The past tense and -ed participle of tell is told. For example, instead of saying 'I said to him that his mother had arrived', say 'I told him that his mother had arrived'.
You say that someone tells a story, lie, or joke.
Be Careful!
Don't say that someone 'says' a story, lie, or joke. Don't say, for example 'You're saying lies now'.
Don't say that someone 'says' a question. Say that they ask a question.
Don't say that someone 'says' an order or instruction. Say that they give an order or instruction.
If you want to say that someone describes someone else in a particular way, you can use say followed by a that-clause. For example, you can say 'He said that I was a liar'. You can also say that someone calls someone something. For example, you can say 'He called me a liar'.
Don't use say to mention what someone is discussing. Don't say, for example, 'He said about his business'. Say 'He talked about his business'.
speak
say tellWhen you speak, you use your voice to produce words. The past tense of speak is spoke. The -ed participle is spoken.
Don't use 'speak' to report what someone says. Don't say, for example, 'He spoke that the doctor had arrived'. Say 'He said that the doctor had arrived'.
If you mention the person who is being spoken to as well as what was said, use tell.
say
Past participle: said
Gerund: saying
Imperative |
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say |
say |
Noun | 1. | say - the chance to speak; "let him have his say" chance, opportunity - a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances; "the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington"; "now is your chance" |
Verb | 1. | say - express in words; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name" present, lay out, represent - bring forward and present to the mind; "We presented the arguments to him"; "We cannot represent this knowledge to our formal reason" misstate - state something incorrectly; "You misstated my position" answer, reply, respond - react verbally; "She didn't want to answer"; "answer the question"; "We answered that we would accept the invitation" preface, premise, precede, introduce - furnish with a preface or introduction; "She always precedes her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution" give tongue to, utter, express, verbalise, verbalize - articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse" say - state as one's opinion or judgement; declare; "I say let's forget this whole business" get out - express with difficulty; "I managed to get out a few words" declare - state emphatically and authoritatively; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with" declare - make a declaration (of dutiable goods) to a customs official; "Do you have anything to declare?" note, remark, mention, observe - make mention of; "She observed that his presentation took up too much time"; "They noted that it was a fine day to go sailing" explain - define; "The committee explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean" give - convey or reveal information; "Give one's name" |
2. | say - report or maintain; "He alleged that he was the victim of a crime"; "He said it was too late to intervene in the war"; "The registrar says that I owe the school money" plead - make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts | |
3. | say - express a supposition; "Let us say that he did not tell the truth"; "Let's say you had a lot of money--what would you do?" speculate - talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion; "We were speculating whether the President had to resign after the scandal" | |
4. | say - have or contain a certain wording or form; "The passage reads as follows"; "What does the law say?" read - interpret something that is written or printed; "read the advertisement"; "Have you read Salman Rushdie?" | |
5. | say - give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority; "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed" direct - command with authority; "He directed the children to do their homework" instruct - give instructions or directions for some task; "She instructed the students to work on their pronunciation" request - ask (a person) to do something; "She asked him to be here at noon"; "I requested that she type the entire manuscript" send for, call - order, request, or command to come; "She was called into the director's office"; "Call the police!" warn - ask to go away; "The old man warned the children off his property" | |
6. | say - speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way; "She pronounces French words in a funny way"; "I cannot say `zip wire'"; "Can the child sound out this complicated word?" twang - pronounce with a nasal twang devoice - utter with tense vocal chords raise - pronounce (vowels) by bringing the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth; "raise your `o'" lilt - articulate in a very careful and rhythmic way palatalise, palatalize - pronounce a consonant with the tongue against the palate nasalise, nasalize - speak nasally or through the nose; "In this part of the country, people tend to nasalize" mispronounce, misspeak - pronounce a word incorrectly; "She mispronounces many Latinate words" aspirate - pronounce with aspiration; of stop sounds retroflex - articulate (a consonant) with the tongue curled back against the palate; "Indian accents can be characterized by the fact that speakers retroflex their consonants" subvocalise, subvocalize - articulate without making audible sounds; "she was reading to herself and merely subvocalized" syllabise, syllabize - utter with distinct articulation of each syllable; "The poet syllabized the verses he read" drawl - lengthen and slow down or draw out; "drawl one's vowels" lisp - speak with a lisp accent, accentuate, stress - put stress on; utter with an accent; "In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word" vowelise, vowelize, vocalise, vocalize - pronounce as a vowel; "between two consonants, this liquid is vowelized" click - produce a click; "Xhosa speakers click" trill - pronounce with a trill, of the phoneme `r'; "Some speakers trill their r's" sibilate - pronounce with an initial sibilant flap - pronounce with a flap, of alveolar sounds explode - cause to burst as a result of air pressure; of stop consonants like /p/, /t/, and /k/ roll - pronounce with a roll, of the phoneme /r/; "She rolls her r's" | |
7. | say - communicate or express nonverbally; "What does this painting say?"; "Did his face say anything about how he felt?" say - indicate; "The clock says noon" convey - make known; pass on, of information; "She conveyed the message to me" | |
8. | say - utter aloud; "She said `Hello' to everyone in the office" give tongue to, utter, express, verbalise, verbalize - articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse" | |
9. | say - state as one's opinion or judgement; declare; "I say let's forget this whole business" | |
10. | say - recite or repeat a fixed text; "Say grace"; "She said her `Hail Mary'" recite - repeat aloud from memory; "she recited a poem"; "The pupil recited his lesson for the day" | |
11. | say - indicate; "The clock says noon" record, register, read, show - indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments; "The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero"; "The gauge read `empty'" say - communicate or express nonverbally; "What does this painting say?"; "Did his face say anything about how he felt?" |
say
say
verbsay
[seɪ] (said (vb: pt, pp))"hello," he said → -hola -dijo
what did you say? → ¿qué dijiste?
he said to me that → me dijo que ...
to say to o.s → decir para sí
he said (that) he'd do it → dijo que él lo haría
she said (that) I was to give you this → me pidió que te diera esto
I say (that) we should go → yo digo que nos vayamos
say after me → repite lo que digo yo
to say sth again → repetir algo
to say goodbye to sb → despedirse de algn
to say good morning/goodnight to sb → dar los buenos días/las buenas noches a algn
to say mass → decir misa
I've nothing more to say → se acabó
let's say no more about it → se acabó el asunto
I must say (that) I disapprove of the idea → la verdad es que no me parece bien la idea
I must say she's very pretty → tengo que or debo reconocer que es muy guapa
it's difficult, I must say → es difícil, lo confieso
to say no → decir que no
to say no to a proposal → rechazar una propuesta
I wouldn't say no (Brit) → me encantaría
to say a prayer → rezar
that's what I say → eso digo yo, lo mismo digo yo
I will say this about him, he's bright → reconozco (a pesar de todo) que es listo
to say yes → decir que sí
to say yes to a proposal → aceptar una propuesta
my watch says three o'clock → mi reloj marca las tres
it says 30 degrees → marca 30 grados
it says here that it was built in 1066 → aquí pone or dice que se construyó en 1006
the rules say that → según las reglas ..., en las reglas pone ...
when all is said and done → al fin y al cabo, a fin de cuentas
she has nothing to say for herself → no tiene conversación, nunca abre la boca
what have you got to say for yourself? → ¿y tú, qué dices?
he never has much to say for himself → habla poco
that doesn't say much for him → eso no es una gran recomendación para él
it says much for his courage that he stayed → el que permaneciera allí demuestra su valor
it's not for me to say → no me toca a mí decir
to say the least → para no decir más
say what you like about her hat, she's charming → dígase lo que se quiera acerca de su sombrero, es encantadora
that's saying a lot → y eso es algo
his suit says a lot about him → su traje dice mucho de él
though I say it or so myself → aunque soy yo el que lo dice
there's no saying what he'll do → quién sabe lo que hará
I'd rather not say → prefiero no decir (nada)
it's an original, not to say revolutionary, idea → la idea es original y hasta revolucionaria
to say nothing of the rest → sin hablar de lo demás
would you really say so? → ¿lo crees de veras?
that is to say → o sea, es decir
what do or would you say to a walk? → ¿le apetece or se le antoja un paseo?
what would you say to that? → ¿qué contestas a eso?
it goes without saying that → ni que decir tiene que ..., huelga decir que ...
that goes without saying → eso cae de su peso
what he says goes → aquí manda él
he is said to have been the first → dicen que fue el primero
it's easier said than done → del dicho al hecho hay gran trecho
there's a lot to be said for it/for doing it → hay mucho que decir a su favor/a favor de hacerlo
it must be said that → hay que decir or reconocer que ...
there's something to be said for it/for doing it → hay algo que decir a su favor/a favor de hacerlo
there's something to be said on both sides → hay algo que decir en pro y en contra
no sooner said than done → dicho y hecho
you don't say! (often hum) → ¡no me digas!
enough said! → ¡basta!
I say! (Brit) (calling attention) → ¡oiga!; (in surprise, appreciation) → ¡vaya!, ¡anda!
say no more! → ¡basta!, ¡ni una palabra más!
so you say! → ¡eso es lo que tú dices!
well said! → ¡muy bien dicho!
you've said it! → ¡exacto!, ¡tú lo dijiste!
(let's) say it's worth £20 → supongamos or digamos or pon que vale 20 libras
I should say it's worth about £100 → yo diría que vale unas cien libras
shall we say Tuesday? → ¿quedamos en el martes?
shall we say £5? → ¿convenimos en 5 libras?
we sell it at say £25 → pongamos que lo vendemos por 25 libras
we were going at say 80kph → íbamos a 80kph más o menos
to have one's say → dar su opinión
I've had my say → yo he dado mi opinión or he dicho lo que pensaba
to have a say in the matter → tener voz y voto
if I had had a say in it → si hubieran pedido mi parecer or opinión
to have no say in the matter → no tener voz en capítulo
let him have his say! → ¡que hable él!
say
[ˈseɪ]What did he say? → Qu'est-ce qu'il a dit?
Did you hear what she said? → Tu as entendu ce qu'elle a dit?
I'd like to say a few words → J'aimerais dire quelques mots.
to say sth again → répéter qch
Could you say that again? → Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît?
to say yes → dire oui
to say no → dire non
I wouldn't say no (= wouldn't refuse) → je ne dis pas non
to have a lot to say for o.s. (= talk a lot) → parler beaucoup
He doesn't have much to say for himself → Il ne parle pas beaucoup.
What have you got to say for yourself? (asking for explanation) → Alors, quelle est ton excuse?
It says a lot for her that she admitted her mistake → C'est tout à son honneur qu'elle ait reconnu son erreur.
to not say much for sb → ne pas être à l'honneur de qn
That doesn't say much for him → Ce n'est pas à son honneur.
that says it all → cela veut tout dire
there is a lot to be said for it → cela a beaucoup d'avantages
there is something to be said for it → cela a des avantages
to say nothing of → sans compter
that goes without saying → cela va sans dire, cela va de soi
when all is said and done → en fin de compte, en définitive
you can say that again! → je ne te le fais pas dire!
you don't say! (showing surprise) → ce n'est pas possible!; (ironic) → comme c'est étonnant!
not to say → pour ne pas dire
Do as I say! → Fais ce que je te dis!
to say sb has to do sth, to say that sb has to do sth
She said I was to give you this.; She said that I was to give you this → Elle m'a dit de vous remettre ceci.
say
vb: pret, ptp <said>? to say for oneself he didn’t have much to say for himself → er sagte or redete nicht viel; (in defence) → er konnte nicht viel (zu seiner Verteidigung) sagen; what have you got to say for yourself? → was haben Sie zu Ihrer Verteidigung zu sagen?
? to say so if you don’t like it, say so → wenn Sie es nicht mögen, dann sagen Sie es doch; why didn’t you say so? → warum haben Sie das denn nicht gesagt?; do it this way — if you say so → machen Sie es so — wenn Sie meinen
say
[seɪ] (said (vb: pt, pp))he said (that) he'd do it → ha detto che l'avrebbe fatto
she said (that) I was to give you this → mi ha detto di darti questo
my watch says 3 o'clock → il mio orologio fa le 3
the rules say that ... → il regolamento dice che...
to say mass/a prayer → dire messa/una preghiera
to say yes/no → dire di sì/di no
to say yes/no to a proposal → accettare/rifiutare una proposta
I wouldn't say no (Brit) (fam) → non mi dispiacerebbe
to say goodbye/goodnight to sb → dire arrivederci/buonanotte a qn
to say sth again → ripetere qc
could you say that again? → potrebbe ripetere?
say after me ... → ripetete con me...
I've nothing more to say → non ho altro da dire
I'll say more about it later → ne riparlerò più tardi
let's say no more about it → non ne parliamo più
I'd rather not say → preferisco non pronunciarmi
I should say it's worth about £100 → direi che vale sulle 100 sterline
(let's) say it's worth £20 → diciamo or ammettiamo che valga 20 sterline
shall we say Tuesday? → facciamo martedì?
will you take an offer of, say, £50? → accetta un'offerta di, diciamo, 50 sterline?
to say nothing of → per non parlare di
to say the least → a dir poco
she hasn't much or has nothing to say for herself (by way of conversation) → non sa dire due parole
what have you got to say for yourself? (by way of excuse) → qual è la tua giustificazione?
that doesn't say much for him → non torna a suo credito
it goes without saying (that) → va da sé (che)
there's no saying what he'll do → Dio solo sa cosa farà
it's not for me to say → non sta a me dirlo
what do or would you say to a walk? → che ne dici or diresti di una passeggiata?
when all is said and done → in fin dei conti
let's say that ... → mettiamo or diciamo che...
it is said that ... → si dice che...+ sub
they say that ... → dicono che...+ sub
there is something or a lot to be said for it → ha i suoi lati positivi
it must be said that ... → bisogna ammettere che...
he is said to have ... → si dice che abbia...
it is easier or sooner said than done → è più facile a dirsi che a farsi
I say! or (Am) Say! (calling attention) → senta!, scusi!; (in surprise, appreciation) → perbacco!
I'll say! (fam) → eccome!
I should say it is or so!, you can say THAT again! (fam) → altrochè!
you don't say! (fam) (often) (iro) → ma va'!, ma che dici!
you('ve) said it! (fam) (emphatic) → l'hai detto!
say no more! (fam) (often) (hum) → non aggiungere altro!
to have a say/no say in the matter → avere/non avere voce in capitolo