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Meaning:Say and tell both have the same meaning and are also both used with direct and indirect speech. With the direct speech – say is more common than tell.Please see examples below: “Turn left”, I said. Or - Turn left, I told him. He said that it was my last dance. Or – He told me that it was my last dance. |
Note:We only use tell to instruct or inform. So we do not use tell with greetings, exclamations or questions.Please see examples below: He said, “Good day”. But not – He told them “Good day”. John said, “What a nice surprise.” But not – John told us “What a nice surprise.” |
Often, say is used without personal objects.For example: He said that she would be absent. Not – She said to me that she would be absent.We use “to” if we want to put a personal object after say. For example: And I say to all the mankind in this world… |
We usually say who is told after tell.For example: He told me that he would be absent. Not – He told that he would be absent.In a few expressions, tell is used without a personal object. Some common examples are: tell a story/joke; tell the truth; tell a lie For example: I don’t think she is telling a lie. Not – Saying a lie… |