Past tense of tell
The past simple of tell is told and the past participle is told: tell – told – told.
- Base form V1
- tell
- Past simple V2
- told
- Past participle V3
- told
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Meaning of tell
To communicate information or instructions to someone in speech or writing
- ExampleTell me what happened.
Tell, told, told in sentences
- Past simpleShe told me the truth.
- Past participleHe has told me the answer.
Common mistakes
telledtold. Tell is irregular, so it does not take -ed.
Similar verbs
Built on tell, with the same forms: foretell, retell.
Past simple and past participle the same, like tell: have, make, think, say, find, feel, keep, buy.
Common questions
What is the past tense of tell?
Told. For example: She told me the truth.
What is the past participle of tell?
Told. It follows have in the perfect tenses, as in He has told me the answer.
Is tell a regular verb?
No. Tell is irregular: its past forms do not end in -ed.
