Englishfor English speakers

tell English

Meaning tell meaning

What does tell mean?

Definitions in simple English

tell Verb

— When you tell something to someone, you speak to the person about some fact or idea. He always tells the truth. I told all of my friends about Wiktionary. I will not tell anyone — If you tell, you let a parent, teacher, police officer, etc. know that somebody did something bad. I'm sorry I hit you. I'll give you a dollar if you don't tell. If you're lying, your eyes will tell on you.

tell

— verb (= state, say) express in words He said that he wanted to marry her tell me what is bothering you state your opinion state your name — verb let something be known Tell them that you will be late — verb (= narrate) narrate or give a detailed account of Tell what happened The father told a story to his child — verb (= order, say) give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority I said to him to go home She ordered him to do the shopping The mother told the child to get dressed — verb discern or comprehend He could tell that she was unhappy — verb inform positively and with certainty and confidence I tell you that man is a crook! — verb (= evidence) give evidence he was telling on all his former colleague — verb (= distinguish) mark as different We distinguish several kinds of maple

Tell

— noun a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap)

Synonyms tell synonyms

What other words have the same or similar meaning as tell?

tell English » English

say speak inform narrate relate talk order report recount announce declare communicate state recite explain utter notify command express show reveal pronounce describe mention make known instruct convey warn proclaim enjoin ask teach indicate impart expound divulge distinguish disclose direct mean let know chat apprise talk to speak to separate retell give enlighten discuss

Tell English » English

William Tell

Topics tell topics

What do people use tell to talk about?

Language and thought Think Remember

Recognize

What words refer to recognizing something?

distinguish identify know place realize recognize recognition pick out tell not mistake

Language and thought Communication

Say

What words refer to saying something?

say speak talk tell state express declare proclaim inform pronounce remark on make a remark

Language and thought Communication Say Talk about a subject

Explain

What words refer to explaining how something works or how to do something?

tell explain demonstrate give instructions

Language and thought Communication Interpreting messages

Show, indicate

What words refer to something showing that something is true?

show be a sign mean indicate reveal make it clear demonstrate betray be evidence reflect illustrate bear witness to tell

Language and thought Communication Say True

Tell the truth

What words refer to telling the truth?

tell the truth speak the truth be honest be open be up front play fair level with lay/put your cards on the table testify witness reveal
What words refer to telling the truth without hiding anything?

honest to be honest in all honesty frank candid direct straightforward tell someone straight

Language and thought Communication Say True

Tell a lie

What words refer to saying something that is not true?

lie tell a lie pervert truth deceive tell tales perjure make up

Language and thought Communication

Advise

What words refer to not knowing what to advise?

don't know what to tell you

Language and thought Communication Say Talk about a subject

Describe

What words refer to describing an event?

describe talk about write about give an account of tell of

Language and thought Communication Say Criticize

Gossip

What words refer to gossiping?

gossip talk about someone behind their back bitch about slag off bad-mouth start a whispering campaign tattle stab in the back tell tales start a rumor spread rumors spread an evil report slander

Social behavior Law Trial

Accuse, confront

What words refer to accusing someone?

accuse confront accost incriminate blame point the finger at criticize hold responsible find fault with be direct with don't mince words tell off rebuke reprove remonstrate to rebuke correct reproof remonstrance castigate cast aspersions prove offer proof

Social behavior Law Trial

Witness, testify

What words refer to testifying in a court?

witness testify give evidence tell about recount provide information facts truth false witness perjure perjury report cross-examine hearsay

Social behavior Conflict Peace

Rebuke

What words refer to someone telling another that he has done wrong?

rebuke chew out reprimand scold reprove excoriate censor verbal abuse yell at lecture call on the carpet lay out tell off

States Quality Type, kind Compare

Different

What words refer to discovering the difference between two things?

tell the difference see the difference distinguish differentiate

States Time

Telling time

What words refer to telling time?

tell time keep time mark time measure time beat time register the time to chronicle

Conjugation tell conjugation

How do you conjugate tell?

tell · verb

Present I tell

Positive I tell

Singular

1st person I tell

2nd person you tell

3rd person he/she/it tells

Plural

1st person we tell

2nd person you tell

3rd person they tell

Negative I don't tell

Singular

1st person I don't tell I do not tell

2nd person you don't tell you do not tell

3rd person he/she/it doesn't tell he/she/it does not tell

Plural

1st person we don't tell we do not tell

2nd person you don't tell you do not tell

3rd person they don't tell they do not tell

Question do I tell?

Singular

1st person do I tell?

2nd person do you tell?

3rd person does he/she/it tell?

Plural

1st person do we tell?

2nd person do you tell?

3rd person do they tell?

Negative question don't I tell?

Singular

1st person don't I tell? do I not tell?

2nd person don't you tell? do you not tell?

3rd person doesn't he/she/it tell? does he/she/it not tell?

Plural

1st person don't we tell? do we not tell?

2nd person don't you tell? do you not tell?

3rd person don't they tell? do they not tell?

Past I told

Positive I told

Singular

1st person I told

2nd person you told

3rd person he/she/it told

Plural

1st person we told

2nd person you told

3rd person they told

Negative I didn't tell

Singular

1st person I didn't tell I did not tell

2nd person you didn't tell you did not tell

3rd person he/she/it didn't tell he/she/it did not tell

Plural

1st person we didn't tell we did not tell

2nd person you didn't tell you did not tell

3rd person they didn't tell they did not tell

Question did I tell?

Singular

1st person did I tell?

2nd person did you tell?

3rd person did he/she/it tell?

Plural

1st person did we tell?

2nd person did you tell?

3rd person did they tell?

Negative question didn't I tell?

Singular

1st person didn't I tell? did I not tell?

2nd person didn't you tell? did you not tell?

3rd person didn't he/she/it tell? did he/she/it not tell?

Plural

1st person didn't we tell? did we not tell?

2nd person didn't you tell? did you not tell?

3rd person didn't they tell? did they not tell?

Future I'll tell

Positive I'll tell

Singular

1st person I'll tell I will tell

2nd person you'll tell you will tell

3rd person he/she/it'll tell he/she/it will tell

Plural

1st person we'll tell we will tell

2nd person you'll tell you will tell

3rd person they'll tell they will tell

Negative I won't tell

Singular

1st person I won't tell I will not tell

2nd person you won't tell you will not tell

3rd person he/she/it won't tell he/she/it will not tell

Plural

1st person we won't tell we will not tell

2nd person you won't tell you will not tell

3rd person they won't tell they will not tell

Question will I tell?

Singular

1st person will I tell?

2nd person will you tell?

3rd person will he/she/it tell?

Plural

1st person will we tell?

2nd person will you tell?

3rd person will they tell?

Negative question won't I tell?

Singular

1st person won't I tell? will I not tell?

2nd person won't you tell? will you not tell?

3rd person won't he/she/it tell? will he/she/it not tell?

Plural

1st person won't we tell? will we not tell?

2nd person won't you tell? will you not tell?

3rd person won't they tell? will they not tell?

Conditional I'd tell

Positive I'd tell

Singular

1st person I'd tell I would tell

2nd person you'd tell you would tell

3rd person he/she/it'd tell he/she/it would tell

Plural

1st person we'd tell we would tell

2nd person you'd tell you would tell

3rd person they'd tell they would tell

Negative I wouldn't tell

Singular

1st person I wouldn't tell I would not tell

2nd person you wouldn't tell you would not tell

3rd person he/she/it wouldn't tell he/she/it would not tell

Plural

1st person we wouldn't tell we would not tell

2nd person you wouldn't tell you would not tell

3rd person they wouldn't tell they would not tell

Question would I tell?

Singular

1st person would I tell?

2nd person would you tell?

3rd person would he/she/it tell?

Plural

1st person would we tell?

2nd person would you tell?

3rd person would they tell?

Negative question wouldn't I tell?

Singular

1st person wouldn't I tell? would I not tell?

2nd person wouldn't you tell? would you not tell?

3rd person wouldn't he/she/it tell? would he/she/it not tell?

Plural

1st person wouldn't we tell? would we not tell?

2nd person wouldn't you tell? would you not tell?

3rd person wouldn't they tell? would they not tell?

Present continuous I'm telling

Positive I'm telling

Singular

1st person I'm telling I am telling

2nd person you're telling you are telling

3rd person he/she/it's telling he/she/it is telling

Plural

1st person we're telling we are telling

2nd person you're telling you are telling

3rd person they're telling they are telling

Negative I'm not telling

Singular

1st person I'm not telling I am not telling

2nd person you aren't telling you're not telling you are not telling

3rd person he/she/it isn't telling he/she/it's not telling he/she/it is not telling

Plural

1st person we aren't telling we're not telling we are not telling

2nd person you aren't telling you're not telling you are not telling

3rd person they aren't telling they're not telling they are not telling

Question am I telling?

Singular

1st person am I telling?

2nd person are you telling?

3rd person is he/she/it telling?

Plural

1st person are we telling?

2nd person are you telling?

3rd person are they telling?

Negative question aren't I telling?

Singular

1st person aren't I telling? am I not telling?

2nd person aren't you telling? are you not telling?

3rd person isn't he/she/it telling? is he/she/it not telling?

Plural

1st person aren't we telling? are we not telling?

2nd person aren't you telling? are you not telling?

3rd person aren't they telling? are they not telling?

Past continuous I was telling

Positive I was telling

Singular

1st person I was telling

2nd person you were telling

3rd person he/she/it was telling

Plural

1st person we were telling

2nd person you were telling

3rd person they were telling

Negative I wasn't telling

Singular

1st person I wasn't telling I was not telling

2nd person you weren't telling you were not telling

3rd person he/she/it wasn't telling he/she/it was not telling

Plural

1st person we weren't telling we were not telling

2nd person you weren't telling you were not telling

3rd person they weren't telling they were not telling

Question was I telling?

Singular

1st person was I telling?

2nd person were you telling?

3rd person was he/she/it telling?

Plural

1st person were we telling?

2nd person were you telling?

3rd person were they telling?

Negative question wasn't I telling?

Singular

1st person wasn't I telling? was I not telling?

2nd person weren't you telling? were you not telling?

3rd person wasn't he/she/it telling? was he/she/it not telling?

Plural

1st person weren't we telling? were we not telling?

2nd person weren't you telling? were you not telling?

3rd person weren't they telling? were they not telling?

Future continuous I'll be telling

Positive I'll be telling

Singular

1st person I'll be telling I will be telling

2nd person you'll be telling you will be telling

3rd person he/she/it'll be telling he/she/it will be telling

Plural

1st person we'll be telling we will be telling

2nd person you'll be telling you will be telling

3rd person they'll be telling they will be telling

Negative I won't be telling

Singular

1st person I won't be telling I will not be telling

2nd person you won't be telling you will not be telling

3rd person he/she/it won't be telling he/she/it will not be telling

Plural

1st person we won't be telling we will not be telling

2nd person you won't be telling you will not be telling

3rd person they won't be telling they will not be telling

Question will I be telling?

Singular

1st person will I be telling?

2nd person will you be telling?

3rd person will he/she/it be telling?

Plural

1st person will we be telling?

2nd person will you be telling?

3rd person will they be telling?

Negative question won't I be telling?

Singular

1st person won't I be telling? will I not be telling?

2nd person won't you be telling? will you not be telling?

3rd person won't he/she/it be telling? will he/she/it not be telling?

Plural

1st person won't we be telling? will we not be telling?

2nd person won't you be telling? will you not be telling?

3rd person won't they be telling? will they not be telling?

Conditional continuous I'd be telling

Positive I'd be telling

Singular

1st person I'd be telling I would be telling

2nd person you'd be telling you would be telling

3rd person he/she/it'd be telling he/she/it would be telling

Plural

1st person we'd be telling we would be telling

2nd person you'd be telling you would be telling

3rd person they'd be telling they would be telling

Negative I wouldn't be telling

Singular

1st person I wouldn't be telling I would not be telling

2nd person you wouldn't be telling you would not be telling

3rd person he/she/it wouldn't be telling he/she/it would not be telling

Plural

1st person we wouldn't be telling we would not be telling

2nd person you wouldn't be telling you would not be telling

3rd person they wouldn't be telling they would not be telling

Question would I be telling?

Singular

1st person would I be telling?

2nd person would you be telling?

3rd person would he/she/it be telling?

Plural

1st person would we be telling?

2nd person would you be telling?

3rd person would they be telling?

Negative question wouldn't I be telling?

Singular

1st person wouldn't I be telling? would I not be telling?

2nd person wouldn't you be telling? would you not be telling?

3rd person wouldn't he/she/it be telling? would he/she/it not be telling?

Plural

1st person wouldn't we be telling? would we not be telling?

2nd person wouldn't you be telling? would you not be telling?

3rd person wouldn't they be telling? would they not be telling?

Present perfect I've told

Positive I've told

Singular

1st person I've told I have told

2nd person you've told you have told

3rd person he/she/it's told he/she/it has told

Plural

1st person we've told we have told

2nd person you've told you have told

3rd person they've told they have told

Negative I haven't told

Singular

1st person I haven't told I have not told

2nd person you haven't told you have not told

3rd person he/she/it hasn't told he/she/it has not told

Plural

1st person we haven't told we have not told

2nd person you haven't told you have not told

3rd person they haven't told they have not told

Question have I told?

Singular

1st person have I told?

2nd person have you told?

3rd person has he/she/it told?

Plural

1st person have we told?

2nd person have you told?

3rd person have they told?

Negative question haven't I told?

Singular

1st person haven't I told? have I not told?

2nd person haven't you told? have you not told?

3rd person hasn't he/she/it told? has he/she/it not told?

Plural

1st person haven't we told? have we not told?

2nd person haven't you told? have you not told?

3rd person haven't they told? have they not told?

Past perfect I had told

Positive I had told

Singular

1st person I had told

2nd person you had told

3rd person he/she/it had told

Plural

1st person we had told

2nd person you had told

3rd person they had told

Negative I hadn't told

Singular

1st person I hadn't told I had not told

2nd person you hadn't told you had not told

3rd person he/she/it hadn't told he/she/it had not told

Plural

1st person we hadn't told we had not told

2nd person you hadn't told you had not told

3rd person they hadn't told they had not told

Question had I told?

Singular

1st person had I told?

2nd person had you told?

3rd person had he/she/it told?

Plural

1st person had we told?

2nd person had you told?

3rd person had they told?

Negative question hadn't I told?

Singular

1st person hadn't I told? had I not told?

2nd person hadn't you told? had you not told?

3rd person hadn't he/she/it told? had he/she/it not told?

Plural

1st person hadn't we told? had we not told?

2nd person hadn't you told? had you not told?

3rd person hadn't they told? had they not told?

Future perfect I'll have told

Positive I'll have told

Singular

1st person I'll have told I will have told

2nd person you'll have told you will have told

3rd person he/she/it'll have told he/she/it will have told

Plural

1st person we'll have told we will have told

2nd person you'll have told you will have told

3rd person they'll have told they will have told

Negative I won't have told

Singular

1st person I won't have told I will not have told

2nd person you won't have told you will not have told

3rd person he/she/it won't have told he/she/it will not have told

Plural

1st person we won't have told we will not have told

2nd person you won't have told you will not have told

3rd person they won't have told they will not have told

Question +'ll I have told?

Singular

1st person +'ll I have told? will I have told?

2nd person +'ll you have told? will you have told?

3rd person +'ll he/she/it have told? will he/she/it have told?

Plural

1st person +'ll we have told? will we have told?

2nd person +'ll you have told? will you have told?

3rd person +'ll they have told? will they have told?

Negative question won't I have told?

Singular

1st person won't I have told? will I not have told?

2nd person won't you have told? will you not have told?

3rd person won't he/she/it have told? will he/she/it not have told?

Plural

1st person won't we have told? will we not have told?

2nd person won't you have told? will you not have told?

3rd person won't they have told? will they not have told?

Conditional perfect I'd have told

Positive I'd have told

Singular

1st person I'd have told I would have told

2nd person you'd have told you would have told

3rd person he/she/it'd have told he/she/it would have told

Plural

1st person we'd have told we would have told

2nd person you'd have told you would have told

3rd person they'd have told they would have told

Negative I wouldn't have told

Singular

1st person I wouldn't have told I would not have told

2nd person you wouldn't have told you would not have told

3rd person he/she/it wouldn't have told he/she/it would not have told

Plural

1st person we wouldn't have told we would not have told

2nd person you wouldn't have told you would not have told

3rd person they wouldn't have told they would not have told

Question would I have told?

Singular

1st person would I have told?

2nd person would you have told?

3rd person would he/she/it have told?

Plural

1st person would we have told?

2nd person would you have told?

3rd person would they have told?

Negative question wouldn't I have told?

Singular

1st person wouldn't I have told? would I not have told?

2nd person wouldn't you have told? would you not have told?

3rd person wouldn't he/she/it have told? would he/she/it not have told?

Plural

1st person wouldn't we have told? would we not have told?

2nd person wouldn't you have told? would you not have told?

3rd person wouldn't they have told? would they not have told?

Imperative tell!

Positive

you tell!

we let's tell!

Negative

you don't tell!

we let's not tell!

Examples tell examples

How do I use tell in a sentence?

Simple sentences

I can't tell her now. It's not that simple anymore.

Tell me what happened.

Can you tell wheat from barley?

Never hesitate to tell the truth.

Don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything.

Please tell me which bus to take to get to the station.

I'll tell you everything about it.

Tell her you like her. Don't be afraid. She won't bite you.

You must always tell the truth.

Always tell the truth.

You should always tell the truth.

Tell me your story. I am all ears.

I simply don't know what to tell.

You wanted to tell me about freedom?

If I wanted to scare you, I would tell you what I dreamt about a few weeks ago.

You suck dude! I have to tell you everything!

Mathematicians are like French people: whatever you tell them they translate it into their own language and turn it into something totally different.

You didn't tell him anything?

He doesn't want you to tell him about your sex life.

Professors should explain everything in detail, not be succinct and always tell students to go home and read their books.

Tell them to call me before they leave.

Please tell us where there is a spice shop.

Why did you wake me up to tell me something that big? Now, I'll never be able to concentrate on my work!

That sounds interesting. What did you tell her?

I want you to tell me the truth.

There was a feeling of constraint in the room; no one dared to tell the king how foolish his decision was.

Movie subtitles

Did he tell me to buy front leg?

Don't tell me, with only one machine.

To tell you the truth, I'm being chased by bad people.

Wasn't having Zero tell us to wait here enough for you?

Just tell me one thing!

And don't worry! I won't tell anyone about you!

King manuel's orders to Vasco da Gama tell us something very important about the overseas spread of Western civilization.

Um, heh, um, um, look, maybe, maybe sometime Elder Cunningham and I could, could talk to you, maybe tell you a little bit about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?

Can you tell?

Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to tell you all about a very special book.

People come and tell us about Jesus and him dying for our sins once a year.

They always come, tell us the story, and leave!

I'm going to text them right now and tell them we are interested.

The issue now is what the heck am I supposed to tell the Mission President!

Eh? To tell you the truth, I'm being chased by bad people.

Tell him I'll shoot him in the head if he lies.

Tell him to drink a lot. Boiled water.

Tell him children have to drink a lot.

Tell your leader.

Tell me about Bahia. - She's beautiful.

My father, Si Kaddour, sent me to tell you Emir Abd el-Kader, the leader of the holy war, is ready to broker peace.

Go tell her I love her and want to marry her.

You know her, so go see her and tell her I love her.

How's Bahia? I forgot to tell you.

Leila, I wanted to tell you.

Go tell the king's son that I'm surrendering.

I ain't gonna tell him.

You gonna tell him, Mickey?

Mickey, tell Frankie I can't do this anymore.

Tell him he's my best worker, and ask him what the fucking problem is.

Tell him it's driving me crazy.

I don't care if you guys tell Nick.

Hey, Frankie, he says he doesn't fucking care y you tell Nick.

Did he tell you, by any chance, that you guys were friends?

Tell him I don't like to see a friend of mine so unhappy, so one more catch, I'll cut him loose.

Tell him thanks.

Tell me about this, please.

Don't tell them anything, all right.

It's what they do if you don't tell them what they want.

Tell you what, why don't we see if they can organise basket weaving classes or something?

News and current affairs

Does this tell us something about the future of Europe as a whole?

First, your own eyes and your reason would surely tell you before long that the communist idyll - the withering away of the state and the triumph over need - would never come.

Such things tell us something about their concern for the public good.

But do cold statistics about average income really tell us anything significant?

The machines can now even be set to imitate famous human players - including their flaws - so well that only an expert eye (and sometimes only another computer!) can tell the difference.

Over the course of a small number of games on the Internet, I could not easily tell the difference.

If employers tell their new employees that a pension saving plan is available, and even promise to match employees' contributions, a significant fraction of employees still will not participate.

History will have many tales to tell about what this really meant for the Continent.

After spending all that money, we would not even be able to tell the difference.

NEW YORK - When politicians around the world tell the story of global warming, they cast it as humanity's greatest challenge.

Will these countries continue to sacrifice for the common European good when, time after time, the big countries tell them to go to the back of the bus and be grateful for the ride?

Though Taylor maintained that he tried to tell the truth in his historical writing, he was quite ready to spin the facts for a good cause.

Only citizens can tell whether policy decisions are really in their interest.

Ultimately, what happens may tell us as much about the inherent nature of the internet in our evolving world as about a changing China.

Cycles of declinism tell us more about American psychology than about underlying shifts in power resources.

Simple arithmetic and basic economics tell us that a multilateral problem cannot be addressed by a bilateral solution.

Again, someone needs to tell Obama that imports create jobs, too, and that his emphasis on promoting US exports alone is bad economics.

Only time will tell.

Time will tell, but a key difference between 2014 and 1979 is that today the Chinese cocktail is spiked with fear.

In almost every case, my driver would tell me that his children were playing in local youth leagues.

These books tell our history in an odd way.

Our maladies are largely random, and even if our doctors cannot tell us which ones we will have in the next year, or eliminate all of our suffering when we have them, we are happy for the help that they can provide.

So why do the statistics tell a different story?

For example, to make his threats of an interest-rate hike in the midst of a global slowdown credible, the ECB president is using his press conferences to tell the world how strong European growth is.

It is too soon to tell if Iran's desire to obtain nuclear weapons has been delayed.

Ancient rivalries and atavistic feuds may or may not be part of this; only future crisis will tell.

To what extent the EU can take this strain, only time will tell.

HAIFA - How do you tell a true friend?

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