Practice
Say or says: which verb form is correct?
My brother says hello every morning. My friends say hello when they arrive. The change comes from the subject, not from the word hello.
Choose say or says by finding the subject and matching the present-tense verb to a singular or plural subject.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The short answer
Use says after a singular third-person subject such as she, he, it, the teacher, or my phone. Use say after I, you, we, they, or a plural noun such as the teachers.
The receptionist says that the office opens at nine.
Why it works: The receptionist is one person, so the present-tense verb ends in -s.
5 more examples
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I say the answer aloud before I write it.
I takes the base form say in the present simple.
Not this:My
cousin saysthe answer aloud before she writes it. What changes: My cousin is one person, so the verb changes to says. -
The guide says that the museum closes at five.
Guide is a singular noun, so use says.
Not this:The
guides saythat the museum closes at five. What changes: Guides is plural, so use say without -s. -
They say the train is usually on time.
They is plural in this sentence, so it takes say.
Not this:The
timetable saysthe train is usually on time. What changes: Timetable is one thing, so the sentence needs says. -
Does Maya say the meeting starts at ten?
After does, use the base form say. Does already agrees with Maya.
Not this:
Maya saysthe meeting starts at ten. What changes: In a statement without does, Maya takes says. -
The results of the survey say that most visitors walk here.
Results is the plural subject. The phrase of the survey does not change that.
Not this:The
result of the survey saysthat most visitors walk here. What changes: Result is singular, so the verb becomes says.
Read the full guide
The verb changes only in the third-person singular form of the present simple. A name can make the choice less obvious, so replace the name with he or she if that helps.
Find the subject first
The subject tells you which form to use. A singular third-person subject needs says. I, you, we, they, and plural nouns need say.
Her manager says the report is ready.
Manager is one person, so says matches the subject.
Choose the correct form: The neighbors ___ the street is quiet at night.
Use say: The neighbors say the street is quiet at night.
Use says with one person or thing
He, she, and it are singular third-person subjects. A single name or singular noun uses the same form. Add -s to say in an ordinary present-simple statement.
Jordan says the new bus route is faster.
Jordan can be replaced by he or she, so says is the correct form.
Complete the sentence: This sign ___ that parking is not allowed here.
Use says: This sign says that parking is not allowed here.
Use say with I, you, we, they, and plural nouns
Do not add -s after I, you, we, they, or more than one noun. The base form say works with all of these subjects.
We say goodbye at the end of the call.
We is plural, so we say is correct. We says is not standard English.
Choose the form: My parents ___ that dinner will be late.
Use say: My parents say that dinner will be late.
Keep say after does
Questions and negatives with does use the base form say. Do not write does says. The auxiliary verb does already shows singular third-person agreement.
Does the doctor say that I need another appointment?
Doctor is singular, but say stays in the base form because does carries the agreement.
Correct the verb: Does the email says when the package will arrive?
Use say: Does the email say when the package will arrive?
Ignore extra words after the subject
A phrase between the subject and the verb can distract you. Look back to the main noun. The message from the clients says has message as its singular subject.
The messages from the clients say that the deadline is too soon.
Messages is plural, so say agrees with the main noun, not with clients.
Choose the form: The list of approved items ___ what we can order.
Use says: The list of approved items says what we can order.
Before you go
Remember this
Use says with he, she, it, a singular name, or one noun. Use say with I, you, we, they, and plural nouns. After does, keep say in the base form.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Say or says: which verb form is correct?"
When do I use says instead of say?
Use says when the subject is he, she, it, one person, or one thing in a present-simple statement. Use say with I, you, we, they, and plural nouns. Find the subject before choosing the verb.
I say the answer aloud before I write it.
Why is it does she say, not does she says?
Does is already the singular present form of do in this question. After does, English uses the base form of the main verb. Write Does she say, just as you write Does he work or Does it happen.
My cousin says the answer aloud before she writes it.
Can a name take says?
Yes. One named person takes says because the name acts like he or she. Write Maya says or Daniel says. If the subject contains two names joined by and, it is usually plural and takes say.
The guide says that the museum closes at five.
What if a phrase comes after the subject?
Look for the main noun before the extra phrase. In The list of names says, list is the subject, so the verb is says. In The names on the list say, names is the subject, so use say.
The guides say that the museum closes at five.
Is say the same as tell?
They are related but they use different patterns. Say often introduces words or a clause, as in She says that she is busy. Tell usually names a listener, as in She tells me that she is busy.
They say the train is usually on time.