say and tell

Hmm, when I used to teach I would explain using words from the student's language (Portuguese).

The main difference is in usage and collocation. You can "say" just about anything, but "tell" is usually used where you can substitute it with "inform" or "instruct".

Here's a quickie:

You say "something said".

For example:

He said "bite me".

You can't use:

He told "bite me".

The reason is that it needs the object (usually the listener) here.

Here are examples with the object:

Say to her. (note the use of to)

Tell her.

You say "words that are said".

You tell <listener>, <story>, <lie>, <joke>, <truth> etc

Some examples:

He said "you can have my dog".

He told me that I can have his dog.

He said "I am Napoleon".

He told me he is Napoleon.

He said "eat my shorts".

He told me a story.

He told a lie.

He said something that was a lie.


Lastly, the word "tell" also means to "differentiate".

As in, I can't tell if that is a man or a woman.

Calm down and tell me what happened.
Calm down and say what happened.

As a rule of thumb, to tell usually takes a person as an object.* The object to say will take is what is being or should be said.

I consider tell to be more of a "commanding" verb.

*Some exceptions are: to tell the truth, to tell a secret, and to tell fortunes.

To use Levi's example to show a bit more nuance here's an imagined retort to "Calm down and say what happened."

"What happened".

Tell is much more common for the "recount" meaning.

I always had the same problem with 'teach' and 'learn'. In Dutch 'teach' and 'learn' are both translated as 'leren'. 'I'm learning English grammar' - 'Ik leer Engelse grammatica'; 'I'm teaching him English grammar' - 'Ik leer hem Engelse grammatica'.

Hey Rick, how about learning me Dutch?

Where do you want to start? :wink:

Here