12 Essential Collocations with TELL: Phrases You Need to Know

One of my favourite classroom moments is watching a student carefully craft a sentence and then pause: “Can I tell a lie, or I must say a lie?” That moment of confusion captures something real about collocations with “tell.” Unlike many verbs, “tell” is deeply picky about which nouns it pairs with. You can “tell a story,” “tell the truth,” or “tell the difference,” but you can’t randomly “tell a problem” or “tell an opinion.” You’ll covers 12 essential collocations with “tell” — the ones you’ll actually hear and use — plus strategies to spot which nouns naturally follow this verb.

By understanding these collocations, you’ll avoid the awkward mistakes that mark non-native speech and sound more confident in conversations, presentations, and writing. We’ll explore the core meanings of “tell,” see real examples for each collocation, and work through the common pitfalls learners face.

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What Does “Tell” Really Mean?

“Tell” is one of the most fundamental verbs in English, but it’s more specific than it first appears. At its core, “tell” means to communicate information to someone, usually as the main purpose of the utterance. This distinguishes it from “say” (which can be reported speech with less intentionality) and “speak” (which focuses on the act of using language, not the transfer of information).

When we talk about collocations with “tell,” we’re usually looking at structures where “tell” takes both a recipient (who is being told) and a message (what is being told). For example:

• “Tell me a story” — you are the recipient; the story is the message.
• “Tell the truth” — the truth is the message (the recipient is implied).
• “Tell the difference” — the difference is what you perceive and communicate.

Core Collocations with “Tell”: Communication & Narrative

These are the collocations where “tell” means to share a narrative or communicate information deliberately to an audience.

Collocation	Meaning	Example
Tell a story	Narrate a series of events, real or fictional	“My grandmother loves to tell stories about her childhood.”
Tell a joke	Share something funny with the intent to make people laugh	“He’s terrible at telling jokes — he always laughs before the punchline.”
Tell a lie	Deliberately communicate something false	“I can’t tell a lie — your presentation was really not very good.”
Tell the truth	Communicate what is factually accurate and honest	“Just tell me the truth. Did you eat the last piece of cake?”
Tell a secret	Share confidential or private information	“Please don’t tell anyone my secret — I trust you completely.”
Tell someone’s name	State or disclose a person’s name	“The witness refused to tell the police his name.”
Tell (someone) about X	Inform someone concerning a particular topic	“You should tell them about the job opening — they’d be perfect for it.”

Example paragraph: “Last night at dinner, my uncle decided to tell a story about his travels in Peru. He told us about the mountains, the people, and the food — it was fascinating. My cousin tried to tell a joke to make us laugh, but nobody got it. Eventually, he had to tell us what the joke meant!”

Collocations with “Tell”: Perception & Judgment

These collocations use “tell” to mean “perceive, recognize, or distinguish.” Here, “tell” is often used with “can” or “could” to indicate ability.

Collocation	Meaning	Example
Tell the difference	Distinguish between two similar things	“These twins look so alike — I can’t tell the difference between them!”
Tell the time	Read and interpret a clock or watch	“Can you tell the time? Do you know what time it is?”
Tell (someone) apart	Distinguish one person or thing from another (two objects)	“The calves look identical, but the farmer can tell them apart by their markings.”
Tell (someone/something) is X	Perceive, notice, or deduce a fact about someone or something	“I can tell you’re upset — what’s wrong?”
Tell by X	Judge or recognize based on a specific detail or sign	“You can tell by the smell that the milk has gone bad.”

Example conversation: “I can tell you’re stressed. Your shoulders are tight. What happened?” — In this case, “tell” means perceive or notice based on observable signs.

Collocations with “Tell”: Destiny & Fate

A smaller but important group of “tell” collocations relates to predicting the future or revealing hidden truths about destiny.

• Tell someone’s fortune — predict a person’s future (“A fortune teller told me my fortune at the fair.”)
• Tell (someone) one’s fate — reveal what will happen to someone (rare, literary) (“No one can tell what fate awaits us.”)

Common Mistakes Learners Make

✗ Incorrect: Can you tell me your opinion?

✓ Correct: Can you tell me your opinion? (actually, this is acceptable, but more natural:) Can you share your opinion? (or) What’s your opinion?

Note: “Tell me your opinion” works, but native speakers more often ask “What do you think?” or “Can you share your opinion?” The collocation “tell someone [something]” is grammatically fine but less idiomatic here.

✗ Incorrect: I told him a problem that I had.

✓ Correct: I told him about a problem I was having. (or) I told him I had a problem.

Why: You “tell someone about X” (a problem, a situation) — you don’t “tell someone a problem.” The preposition “about” is essential in English.

✗ Incorrect: Can you tell the story in English?

✓ Correct: Can you tell the story in English? (actually correct!) or Can you tell the story to the class in English?

Note: This is acceptable, but specifying the recipient makes it clearer: “Can you tell us the story?”

✗ Incorrect: She said a lie to me.

✓ Correct: She told me a lie. (or) She lied to me.

Why: “Tell a lie” (or “tell someone a lie”) is the standard collocation. “Say a lie” is not idiomatic in English.

✗ Incorrect: I can’t tell the difference from them.

✓ Correct: I can’t tell the difference between them.

Why: Use “between” when comparing two things; “from” doesn’t work with this collocation.

✗ Incorrect: Tell me what you think means.

✓ Correct: Tell me what you think. (or if asking for explanation:) Tell me what you mean. / Explain what you mean.

Why: “What you think means” is grammatically tangled. Separate the ideas: “Tell me what you think” (your opinion) or “Tell me what you mean” (clarify).

Formal vs. Casual: Register Notes

Collocation	Register	Context
Tell the truth	Universal (formal & casual)	Any setting where honesty matters
Tell a story / Tell a joke	Casual to semi-formal	Social gatherings, classrooms, bedtime
Tell someone a secret	Casual (intimate)	Trusted friends or family
Tell a lie	Casual to formal (ethical discussion)	When honesty is the topic
Tell the time	Neutral/formal	Teaching children; asking strangers for time
Tell the difference	Neutral	Describing ability to distinguish
Tell someone’s fortune	Casual (entertainment/superstition)	Fairs, casual conversation, fortune telling

Side-by-Side: “Tell” vs. “Say” vs. “Speak”

These three verbs are often confused. Here’s how they differ:

Verb	Main meaning	Typical structure	Example
Tell	Communicate information to someone intentionally	Tell [someone] [something]	“Tell me a story.” (recipient + message)
Say	Utter words; report speech	Say (that) … or Say to someone	“She said hello.” (what was said, not necessarily intentional)
Speak	Use language; talk	Speak [language] or Speak to/with [someone]	“He speaks French.” (the ability to use a language)

Test sentences:

• “Tell me your name.” ✓ (you want information from the recipient)
• “Say your name.” ✓ (but more abrupt; the focus is on the utterance itself, not the transfer of info)
• “Speak your name.” ✗ (incorrect; “speak” doesn’t work this way in English)

Sample Dialogues

“Tell” in Phrases and Expressions

Beyond the core collocations, “tell” appears in many set phrases that native speakers use constantly:

• “Tell me…” — Used to request information or ask someone to share (“Tell me about yourself.”)
• “I can tell…” — Used to express what you’ve perceived or deduced (“I can tell you’re tired.”)
• “If you ask me / If you tell me…” — Used to give an opinion (“If you ask me, that movie was terrible.”)
• “Tell you what…” — Used to make a suggestion or offer (“Tell you what — let’s go out for dinner instead.”)
• “Don’t tell me…” — Used to express surprise or skepticism (“Don’t tell me you forgot the meeting!”)
• “I’m telling you…” — Used to emphasize sincerity (“I’m telling you, that cake was delicious.”)

Quick Quiz: Choose the Right Collocation

The Complete Collocation List: 12 Essentials + Variations

Here’s a summary of all the collocations we’ve covered, organized by category:

Communication & narrative (7 collocations):

• Tell a story
• Tell a joke
• Tell the truth
• Tell a lie
• Tell a secret
• Tell someone (about X)
• Tell someone one’s name

Perception & judgment (5 collocations):

• Tell the difference
• Tell the time
• Tell apart / Tell them apart
• Tell (someone) is (adjective) / Tell by (method)
• I can tell (that)…

Destiny & fate (1 collocation):

• Tell someone’s fortune

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