English grammar: Say and tell

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say & tell

We use say and tell in both direct and indirect speech.
DIRECT SPEECH: I said: "Go home."  |  I told him: "Go home."
INDIRECT SPEECH: I said that I was hungry  |  I told him that I was hungry.

We cannot use say or tell with indirect questions.
Jim asked (me) if I wanted to play football.
NOT: Jim told/said me if I wanted to play football.

With tell, we say who is told.
He told me that he liked playing tennis.
NOT: He said me that he liked playing tennis .
NOT: He told that he liked playing tennis.

With say, if we want to use a personal object, we use to.
He said to them that he would be late.

With other objects, we don't usually use tell.
He said a strange thing.
NOT: He told a strange thing.

We can use tell + object + infinitive to give orders and instructions.
I told my son to stop shouting.
She told me to shut up.

See also  Reported speech  |  Reported questions

Sue said...
"Use 'tell' to give or ask for information. For example:
Please tell me your name.
Could you tell me your address.
I told him the time.
We wouldn't use 'say' in these examples as they are all asking for information."

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