Say - Tell


SAY

Say is used to report someone's words.

She said "I'm thirsty. I'd like a glass of water."
She said (that) she was thirsty and would like a glass of water..


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


Say is used to ask about languages :
Do you know how to say 'water' in Spanish?



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



TELL



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 has always been very good at telling stories.



We tell :

the time, our name, how to do something, the truth, a lie, a secret, a story, the difference between two things.