Say or Tell?
Say and tell have similar meanings. They both mean to communicate verbally with someone. But we often use them differently.
The simple way to think of say and tell is:
You say something
You tell someone something
you say something such as:
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Ram said that he was tired.
Anthony says you have a new job.
Tara said: "I love you."
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you tell someone something such as:
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Ram told Jane that he was tired.
Anthony tells me you have a new job.
Tara told John that she loved him.
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Phrases
Here are a few fixed phrases with tell. We cannot use say with these phrases:
tell (someone) a story
tell (someone) a lie
tell (someone) the truth
tell the future (= to know what the future will bring)
tell the time (= know how to read a clock)