Italian · Everyday Verbs
"to tell" in Italian: raccontare
raccontare
Note: also: dire
To tell in the sense of recounting is raccontare. Io racconto, tu racconti, lui/lei racconta. Raccontare una storia means to tell a story. Dire is for saying words; raccontare is for narrating events.
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How to pronounce raccontare
Say it
rah-kohn-TAH-reh
/rak.konˈta.re/
Raccontare stresses TA: rah-kohn-TAH-reh. Double c is a hard kk. Racconto is rah-KOHN-toh.
"to tell" in Italian: quick reference
| Italian | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| raccontare | to tell / to recount Stories and events. | Stories and events. |
| racconto / racconti / racconta | I tell / you tell / he-she tells Present forms. | Present forms. |
| raccontare una storia | to tell a story Classic collocation. | Classic collocation. |
| racconta! | tell me! / go on! Friendly prompt. | Friendly prompt. |
How to use raccontare in real life
- 1Bedtime
Mi racconti una storia corta?
Will you tell me a short story?
Racconti conjugation.
- 2After a trip
Racconta com'era Tokyo!
Tell me what Tokyo was like!
Imperative racconta.
- 3Office catch-up
Marco racconta sempre le sue vacanze.
Marco always tells about his holidays.
Racconta present.
Mistakes English speakers make with raccontare
Incorrect: Dire una storia lunga.
Correct: Raccontare una storia lunga.
Stories take raccontare, not dire.
Incorrect: Io raccontare tutto.
Correct: Racconto tutto.
Conjugate: io racconto.
Good to know
Racconta! is how friends hand you the mic after big news. Gossip can be raccontare storie in a shady sense. Learners who only know dire sound abrupt when they mean "tell me what happened."
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Hearing about a funny evening
ChatPal
Allora, mi racconti la serata?
So, will you tell me about the evening?
You
Ti racconto tutto, ma in due minuti.
I'll tell you everything, but in two minutes.
ChatPal
Ok. Racconta pure dal principio.
Ok. Go ahead and tell it from the start.
You
Prima ti racconto dell'autobus perso.
First I'll tell you about the missed bus.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to tell" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to tell" in Italian
Raccontare vs dire?
Raccontare = narrate; dire = say words/opinions.
Tell me!
Racconta! / Dimmi! (dimmi is from dire).
I told him a story?
Gli ho raccontato una storia.
Present io form?
Racconto.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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