The Quick Rule
The most important difference is in their grammatical structure:
* You tell someone something. (tell is followed by a person).
* You say something (to someone). (say is followed by the words spoken).
Tell
Use tell when you are focusing on the person who receives the information. It must be followed by a personal object (me, you, him, her, us, them, John, the class, etc.).
Grammar Structure: tell + person + what was said
Examples:
* She told me a secret. (Correct)
* <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">She told a secret.</span> (Incorrect - who did she tell?)
* Can you tell the children a story?
* He told us that he was going to be late.
Tell is also used for specific purposes:
* To give an order or instruction:
* The teacher told me to finish my homework.
* Tell him to call me back.
* To give information or facts:
* Could you tell me the time, please?
* The doctor told her to get more rest.
* For specific expressions:
* to tell a story
* to tell a lie
* to tell the truth
* to tell a joke
* to tell the difference (e.g., I can't tell the difference between them.)
Say
Use say when you are focusing on the words that were spoken. It is not immediately followed by a person.
Grammar Structure: say + what was said
Examples:
* He said, "Hello!"
* She said that she was tired.
* "I'm leaving now," he said.
If you want to mention the person who was listening, you must use the preposition to.
Grammar Structure: say + what was said + to + person
Examples:
* He said hello to me. (Correct)
* <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">He said me hello.</span> (Incorrect)
* What did you say to him?
* She said to her boss that she needed a day off.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Tell | Say |
|---|---|---|
| Main Focus | The listener / The information conveyed | The exact words spoken |
| Grammatical Structure | tell + person + information | say + words |
| Mentioning the Listener | The person is a necessary object. | You must use "to". (say to me) |
| Example | He told me he was happy. | He said he was happy. OR He said to me that he was happy. |
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
This is where the difference is most important.
* Tell: You must include the person being told.
* Direct: "I'm not feeling well."
* Indirect: She told me (that) she wasn't feeling well.
* Say: You can include the person (using to) or leave them out.
* Direct: "I'm not feeling well."
* Indirect: She said (that) she wasn't feeling well.
* Indirect: She said to me (that) she wasn't feeling well.
Quick Quiz: Say or Tell?
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of say or tell.
* Can you ______ me what time it is?
* He ______ he would be here by noon.
* Please don't ______ anyone my secret.
* She ______ goodbye to all her friends.
* What did the manager ______ to you yesterday?
* The old man ______ us a fascinating story about his
youth.
Answers:
* tell
* said
* tell
* said
* say
* told
Posts
