Quick answer
Contar develops a story or piece of news; dizer focuses on the message or words said.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
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What each word does
contar
to tell, recount, or count
Use contar for narrating a story, sharing news, revealing something, or counting items.
dizer
to say or tell
Use dizer for expressing particular words, a statement, answer, or instruction.
How to choose
- contar: Choose contar if the sentence points to narrating a story, sharing news, revealing something, or counting items.
- dizer: Choose dizer if the sentence points to expressing particular words, a statement, answer, or instruction.
Examples
Ela contou uma história engraçada.
She told a funny story.
Ela disse a verdade.
She told the truth.
Common trap
Contar also means to count. Dizer is usually better before a quotation, while contar is natural for what happened.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with contar, then once with dizer. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
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