When communicating in Chinese you may often make mistakes using Chinese grammar like:

False:

    妈妈说我：“你学习努力，进步很快。”

    Māmɑ shuō wǒ:”nǐ xuéxí nǔlì, jìnbù hěnkuài.”

True:

    妈妈对我说：“你学习努力，进步很快。

    Māmɑ duì wǒ shuō:”nǐ xuéxí nǔlì, jìnbù hěnkuài.”

英语可以说say to me，直译成汉语为“说我”。汉语中“说我”有责备、批评的意思，这对后续句“你学习努力，进步很快”的语义相悖。应改用“对……说”这种格式。

说我 is the word-to-word interpretation for “say to me” in English. In Chinese, 说某人 carries the implication of blame and criticism. Thus 说我 contradicts the meaning of the following clause 你学习努力，进步很快. The right pattern should be 对……说.