You once told me about when vs You said

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

You once told me about when

Top 3,000 (common)

You said

Top 2,000 (common)

Most common: You said

	You once told me about when	You said
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 //juː wʌns toʊld mi əˈbaʊt wɛn// 🇺🇸 //juː wʌns toʊld mi əˈbaʊt wɛn//	🇬🇧 //juː sɛd// 🇺🇸 //juː sɛd//
Meaning	A phrase used to refer to something someone shared in the past.	You talked about something before.
Example	You once told me about when you climbed that mountain.	I remember when you said you would help me.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 3,000 (common)	Top 2,000 (common)
Collocations	you once told me, once told me about, told me this story	you said before, you said that, as you said, I thought you said
Common mistakes	Omitting 'once' can change the meaning., Using it in formal writing may seem awkward.	Confused with 'you say' in present tense., Omitting the subject 'you' when it is necessary., Using it in a context where a past tense is not required.
Usage notes	Use when reminiscing or referencing a past conversation. It's conversational and can create a connection about shared memories.	Commonly used in conversations to refer back to something previously mentioned. It's neutral and can be used in various contexts but is often informal.

See it in real clips

You know that day that you once told me about when

You once told me about when

You said you had a dream.

Top Gear › S1 E1

And you said, "It was like... It was better than a BMW."

But you said... I said it couldn't hurt your chances.

You said you had a dream.

Top Gear › S1 E1

And you said, "It was like... It was better than a BMW."

You said

Frequently asked questions: You once told me about when vs You said

What's the difference between You once told me about when and You said?

You once told me about when: A phrase used to refer to something someone shared in the past. You said: You talked about something before.

Which is more common: You once told me about when and You said?

You said is the most common in everyday English.

Can you show an example of each?

You once told me about when: You once told me about when you climbed that mountain. You said: I remember when you said you would help me.

Can I use You once told me about when and You said interchangeably?

Not always. You once told me about when and You said are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.