Both verbs are about speaking, so learners swap them all the time. The difference is the listener.
- Say is about the words. It doesn't need a listener.
- Tell needs a listener right after it. Somebody gets told.
Say: the words
Use say when you care about the words themselves, or when you don't name the listener.
Mia said hello to the goldfish.
"I'm hungry," Tom said.
What did the teacher say?
Ana said that the soup was cold.
Leo said to me that he would be late.
Forms: say, said, said.
If you do want to name the listener with say, add to: say to me, say to Mia.
Tell: the listener
Use tell when someone receives the information or the instruction. The person comes straight after the verb, with no to.
The librarian told me to be quiet.
Can you tell Mia the answer?
Dad told us a bedtime story about a sleepy dragon.
Nobody told the cat about the bath.
Please tell me what happened.
Forms: tell, told, told.
Easy way to tell them apart
Ask: is there a person right after the verb?
- A person comes next: use tell. Tell me. Tell Sam. Tell the class.
- No person next: use say. Say hello. She said that it was late.
And to put a person after say, use to:
✅ She told me the answer.
✅ She said the answer.
✅ She said to me, "The answer is forty-two."
💡 The OddLingo Trick
Say is a radio in an empty room. Tell is a teacher.
A radio can say words even when nobody is listening. A teacher tells the class, so somebody is always on the other end.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Tell needs a person.
❌ She told that the lesson was cancelled.
✅ She told us that the lesson was cancelled. / She said that the lesson was cancelled.
No to after tell.
❌ He told to me a joke.
✅ He told me a joke.
A person after say needs to.
❌ She said me goodbye.
✅ She said goodbye to me.
Exact words usually use said.
❌ "I'm cold," told Mia.
✅ "I'm cold," said Mia.
Useful phrases
Some fixed phrases don't follow the "person next" test. Learn them as chunks.
Always tell:
- tell the truth
- tell a lie
- tell a story
- tell a joke
- tell a secret
- tell the time
- tell the difference
Always say:
- say hello / goodbye
- say sorry
- say thank you
- say yes / no
- say cheese (for photos)
❌ Please say the truth.
✅ Please tell the truth.
❌ He said a joke about a cat in a hat.
✅ He told a joke about a cat in a hat.
💬 In a Conversation
Sam: Leo told me you said you'd found a ghost.
Mia: I never said ghost. I said goat.
Sam: So who told Leo it was a ghost?
Mia: Nobody. He just heard it wrong.
Sam: The goat is going to be so disappointed.