Say or tell?
When do we use say and when do we use tell?
| Tell, say | |
| We use: tell + somebody. | I told David about it. Did you tell him? He told me (that) he was ill. |
| We use: say + clause. | She said she was ill. |
| We use: tell + clause when we include a pronoun such as me, him, us, etc. | She told me (that) she was ill. |
| We use: say + something + to somebody. | She said hello to me. |
| We use tell when we are giving facts or information: tell somebody (that) ... tell somebody something tell somebody about something tell somebody who/when/where. |
She told me (that) she was ill. She told me the news. Tell me about your new job. He told me where it was. |
For a further explanation of say/tell differences, see Stuart’s article Confusing words: say, tell
Practise speak and talk grammar practice exercise.