Said/says

Question

Hi,Hi guys,1.  I'm speaking to a classmate in   the present:I've spoken to Sam and she says that   we're still going to the library to study for the math exam.The   sentence above ok??2.  Could we mix the tenses around   or should all verb tenses be the same in a single sentence or topic:I've   spoken to Sam and she said that we're still going to the   library to study for the math exam.I   spoke to Sam and she says that we're still going to the   library to study for the math exam.

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

To me, the best-coordinated combinations are:

"I've spoken to ... she says"

"I spoke to ... she said"

In practice, though, both "I've spoken to ... she said" and "I spoke to ... she says" are also acceptable and would pass unnoticed in ordinary conversation.

Generally speaking, "I've spoken to" feels more topical and immediate than "I spoke to", but in a situation where it's obvious that you spoke recently, and it's obvious that you're talking about something of current interest, there's virtually no difference.

"she says" implies that if you asked her now she'd still say the same thing. If there's no reason to believe she's changed her mind, "she said" and "she says" are also, in this context, more or less interchangeable. However, if there's doubt that what she said is still true, or doubt that she still believes it's true, then you would use "she said".

Said/says

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