20 Ways to Use the Verb TELL

20 Ways to Use the Verb TELL

Hello dear English learners! Many students believe that learning grammar and vocabulary is enough to become fluent in English. Of course, these are essential — but to truly understand native speakers and sound natural yourself, you need more than that. 20 ways to use the verb tell

Native English speakers use collocations, idioms, and phrasal verbs constantly. If you only focus on individual words, you might find yourself puzzled in everyday conversations.

So today, we’ll explore 20 common and useful ways to use the verb TELL — through meanings, collocations, phrasal verbs, and idioms. Master these, and you’ll tell your stories, thoughts, and opinions much more fluently!

Meanings of the Verb TELL

To give information

Used when you say or communicate something to someone.

• When we met yesterday, Mary told me all about her holiday.
• Even though it wasn’t easy, the witness told every detail of the crime.

To give an order or strong advice

Used to emphasise that someone should or must do something.

• Haven’t I told you to do your homework?
• I’m telling you, that job is not for you!

To differentiate or recognise

Used to describe recognising differences or distinguishing between things.

• I find it difficult to tell the difference between Amanda and her twin.
• He can’t tell right from wrong.

To fail to keep a secret

• Will you promise not to tell anyone? 20 ways to use the verb tell
• I can’t believe that Mark told everyone our secret.

To narrate or recount

Used when talking about telling stories, jokes, or experiences.

• The children listened attentively as Grandpa told them a story.
• When Dean told us a joke, we all burst out laughing.

Collocations with TELL

I can tell you…

Used to emphasise that what you’re saying is true.

• I can tell you that being married to a rock star isn’t as easy as it looks.
• Scotland may be cold in winter, but I can tell you — there’s no better place in summer!

To tell the truth

Used when you want to express honesty or reveal how you really feel.

• To tell the truth, I didn’t expect such a warm welcome.
• I’m not very fond of watching TV, to tell the truth.

Tell the time

Means to know how to say what time it is.

• Can you believe our four-year-old can tell the time already?
• This clock doesn’t tell the time correctly. 20 ways to use the verb tell

I told you so!

Used when something happens exactly as you predicted.

• If I tell my mum I lost money on that app, she’ll say, I told you so!
• I warned you about that politician — I told you so!

You can never tell

Means you can’t be sure what will happen.

• You can never tell how customers will react to a new product.
• The rain might stop soon — you can never tell!

Something tells me…

Used when you have an instinct or gut feeling.

• Something tells me you’re not being completely honest.
• I might give it a try — something tells me I won’t regret it.

Tell yourself

Used when you try to convince yourself of something.

• Whenever I feel nervous before an exam, I tell myself I’ll do well.
• If you crave chocolate at midnight, tell yourself to wait until morning!

Phrasal Verbs with TELL

Tell against (someone)

Means something counts as a disadvantage.

• Her poor English told against her in the interview.
• The evidence told against the robbers.

Tell apart

Means to distinguish between similar people or things. 20 ways to use the verb tell

• If your brother weren’t taller, I couldn’t tell you apart.
• Their paintings are so similar it’s hard to tell them apart.

Tell of

Means to talk about or describe something.

• The old man lived long enough to tell of the horrors of war.
• Her wrinkled face told of her difficult life.

Tell off

Means to scold or reprimand someone.

• Mr Brown told Fiona off for being late again.
• The soldier was told off for improper uniform.

Tell on

Has two meanings:

1. To affect someone negatively.
   • Poor diet began to tell on her health.
   • Insomnia started to tell on him.
2. To inform on someone to authority.
   • Please don’t tell on me about the broken window.
   • If you tell on me, I’ll make your life miserable!

Idioms with TELL

Only time will tell

Means that the truth or result will be known in the future.

• Only time will tell whether this decision was right. 20 ways to use the verb tell
• We’ll see how the market reacts — only time will tell.

Tell its own tale / story

Means something clearly shows the truth without words.

• Her face told its own story when she heard the news.
• The broken window told its own tale of what happened.

Kiss and tell

Refers to someone who reveals private or romantic details publicly.

• The celebrity gave a kiss-and-tell interview about her ex.
• She regretted dating him — he was a kiss-and-tell type.

Live to tell the tale

Means to survive something difficult or dangerous.

• After the accident, he was lucky to live to tell the tale.
• Not everyone lives to tell the tale after such an experience.

Tell someone where to get off

Means to tell someone firmly to stop being rude or pushy.

• If he insults me again, I’ll tell him where to get off.
• I finally told my boss where to get off after months of disrespect.

A little bird told me

Used to say you know something but don’t want to reveal your source.

• “How do you know about the party?” “A little bird told me.”
• A little bird told me you’ve got a new job — congratulations!

The verb TELL is incredibly versatile — from giving information to expressing feelings, describing experiences, or sharing secrets.

By learning its collocations, phrasal verbs, and idioms, you’ll improve both your spoken and written English, especially for Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced exams.

Remember — the more ways you know how to use a single word, the more confident and expressive your English becomes. So, tell yourself to review these examples regularly! 😉

If you really want to learn English but don’t know how to do it and where to start, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book an online English lesson with one of our certified and experienced English teachers and take a test and consultation! Tap the banner to learn more!