The similarity between tell and say is that they are irregular verbs. "said" the simple past of say, and "told" the simple past of tell.
They are used to report ideas or information that was expressed in spoken language.
Difference between "say" and "tell"
The Difference between "say" and "tell" is that with say, you don’t need to mention who the ideas or information were shared with, but with tell, you do.
1. The use of "say"
"Say" is used to say something (immediately followed by a sentence), examples:
- Adam said that Mohamed was right.
- He said to his father that Mohamed was right.
2. The use of "tell"
"Tell" is used to tell someone something (followed by an object or a pronoun), examples:
- Can you tell me the way to the station, please?
- I told her you were coming.
See: The difference between "some" and "any"
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