snakke, si or fortelle?

Norwegian has three verbs for English speak, say and tell, and each takes a different kind of object.

• snakker (snakke): to speak a language, or to talk with someone. Hun snakker tysk (She speaks German). Jeg snakker med sjefen (I'm talking to the boss).
• sier (si): to say the actual words, such as greetings, ja, nei, takk or unnskyld. Hvordan sier man det på norsk? (How do you say that in Norwegian?)
• forteller (fortelle): to tell something longer, such as a story, a joke, a fairy tale or news. Han forteller en vits (He tells a joke).

Remember: snakke takes a language or med + person, si takes the exact words, and fortelle takes a story. With a person as well: fortelle noen noe (tell someone something).