Irregular verb
The verb to tell
tell → told → told
A2Meaning: to say something to someone; to share a story · Type: irregular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they tell·he/she/it tells - Past Simple:
told - Past participle:
told(the same as the Past Simple) - -ing form:
telling
Conjugation of the verb to tell
Present Simple
| I | tell |
| You | tell |
| He / She / It | tells |
| We | tell |
| You (pl.) | tell |
| They | tell |
Past Simple
| I | told |
| You | told |
| He / She / It | told |
| We | told |
| You (pl.) | told |
| They | told |
All the forms of the verb to tell
Present Simple
Full pagetell / tells
“I tell my friends everything.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are telling
“I am telling a story right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagetold
“She told me the truth.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were telling
“I was telling a story when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has told
“I have already told a story.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad told
“She had already told a story when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill tell
“I will tell a story tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to tell
“I'm going to tell a story this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould tell
“I would tell a story if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to tell
1. Telling someone something
Tell + person + what you say.
- She told me her name.
- Tell him to come.
2. Telling a story
- Tell me a story.
- Tell me about your day.
3. Seeing a difference
Tell can also mean to see a difference. Tell them apart means to know which one is which.
- I can't tell the difference.
- Can you tell them apart?
4. Common expressions
Tell a lie means to say something that is not true. Tell a joke means to say something funny, and tell the time means to read a clock.
- tell the truth
- tell a lie
- tell a joke
- tell the time
Common mistakes to avoid
1. She said me hello ❌
Tell goes with the person: She told me. Say goes with the words: She said hello. To add a person after say, use to: She said hello to me.
2. Tell to me ❌
With tell, the person comes straight after the verb, with no to: tell me, tell him, tell us. Without a person, you only find fixed expressions: tell a lie, tell the truth, tell a story.
Going further
Conjugating to tell is a key skill in the English contest
Every year, the Big Challenge tests the key English verbs. Register your students so they can check their level in a real contest.
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Practise on PLAYYou can conjugate to tell. Now say it out loud.
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Related pages: tell
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of tell?+
The Past Simple of tell is told. It is the same for every person: I told, she told, they told. The past participle is also told. Tell → told → told.
What is the difference between say and tell?+
Tell almost always needs a person after it: She told me a secret. With say, you add the person with to: She said hello to me. She said me hello is a common mistake.
Is it tell a story or say a story?+
Say tell a story. Tell is the verb for stories, news and things that happened: Tell me about your day. Tell me everything! is very common when you want all the details.
What does tell the time mean?+
Tell the time means to read the time on a clock. It is a fixed expression, with no person after tell: Can you tell the time? To ask someone what time it is, say Can you tell me the time? Say the time is not correct here.
What does tell apart mean?+
Tell apart means to see the difference between two people or two things. The twins look so alike, I can't tell them apart.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/tell
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.