Difference between say and tell

CA Pooja Agarwal (Chartered Accountant) (3228 Points)

09 October 2012  

There are a lot of times we get confused from using SAY and TELL.

I hope this will help to guide us all on their proper usage.

SAY TELL
   Say is used to report someone's words:  
     * She said "I'm thirsty." 
    * She said that she was thirsty.

   Say is followed by 'to' before the object: 
    * Did she say that to you?

   Say is used to ask about languages : 
    * How do you say 'water' in Spanish?

   We say : 
   hello, goodbye, please, thank you, 
   congratulations, Merry Christmas, 
   Happy New Year, Happy Birthday! 
 
 

    Tell is used to inform or instruct : 
    * Could you tell me the way to the station please? 
    * Tell the children to go to bed! 
 Tell is followed directly by the object : 
    *  Did she tell you her name?

   Tell is used for narration : 
    * Tom is good at telling stories.

   We tell : 
   the time, our name, the truth, lies, 
   the difference between two things.

FEW Exaples:::

I told John the truth.
He told me the truth.
Did Mary tell you the news?
I will tell them that I cannot attend the meeting.
Joseph did not tell anyone that he was feeling ill.
Helen told her parents that Jane would be late.
Don't tell me the answer!
The teacher will tell the class how to do these problems.
Can you tell us what happened last night.
Have you told everyone the address that they must use?
Who did you tell?

In the following sentences, the person who hears the words is not mentioned. say is used.

Peter says that he needs a new job.
What did John say?
I said that I had an accident.
Did they say what we should do next?
Mary said she enjoyed the party.
No one said that you didn't understand.