read · 2 min
Both report speech, but they take different objects.
tell + someone
✓ She told me a story. · Tell him the truth.
say (+ to someone)
✓ She said hello. · She said to me, “Wait.” (not “said me”)
Fixed phrases: tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, tell the time — but say sorry, say yes/no, say a word.