The verb to tell · Conjugation
Past Simple of tell
The answer: told
A2
A finished action at a definite time in the past.
Quick answer
The Past Simple of the verb to tell is told.
Example: She told me the truth.
Full conjugation in the Past Simple
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| I | told |
| You | told |
| He / She / It | told |
| We | told |
| You (pl.) | told |
| They | told |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Telled ❌
Tell is an irregular verb. Its Past Simple is told, never telled.
2. She told that she was tired ❌
She told me (that) she was tired ✓. With tell, say who you are talking to. Without a person, you only find fixed expressions: tell a lie, tell a story, tell the truth.
3. Say me ❌
Tell me ✓ / Say to me ✓ / Say me ✗. The two verbs do not work in the same way: the person comes straight after tell, but say needs to before the person.
Practice quiz
Going further
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past tense of tell?+
The Past Simple of tell is told, the same for every person. The past participle is also told (the same as the Past Simple). Tell → told → told.
Is it said me or told me?+
Say told me. Use tell + person + what is said: She told me a secret. Use say + what is said, with no person needed: She said hello. She said me hello is never correct.
How do you use told in a sentence?+
Use told + person + (that) + what was said: He told me (that) he was tired. The word that is optional. With tell, you need the person: He told me…, not He told…
Is it didn't tell or didn't told?+
Say didn't tell: He didn't tell me about the party. After didn't, the verb goes back to its base form (tell, not told). The past is already in did.
Can you use tell without a person?+
Not often. Tell almost always needs a person: tell me, tell him, tell us. A few fixed expressions are the exception: tell a lie (to say something that is not true), tell the truth, tell a story and tell the time (to read a clock).
Related pages: tell Past Simple
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
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/past-simple
© 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.
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More forms of the verb to tell are coming soon.