Portuguese · Everyday Verbs
"to tell" in Portuguese: contar
contar
Note: also: dizer
To tell in Portuguese is contar. Say Eu conto uma história or Me conta o que aconteceu. Dizer means say; it does not replace contar for stories.
Catching up
Me conta o que aconteceu ontem.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce contar
Say it
kon-TAHR / KON-too / KON-tah
/kõ.ˈtaʁ/
kon-TAHR. Eu conto is KON-too; você conta is KON-tah.
"to tell" in Portuguese: quick reference
| Portuguese | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| contar | to tell / to count Infinitive; stories and numbers. | Infinitive; stories and numbers. |
| eu conto | I tell / I count Present first person. | Present first person. |
| você conta | you tell Present with você. | Present with você. |
| me conta | tell me Casual imperative. | Casual imperative. |
| contar um segredo | to tell a secret Common collocation. | Common collocation. |
How to use contar in real life
- 1Catching up
Me conta o que aconteceu ontem.
Tell me what happened yesterday.
Me conta is a friendly prompt.
- 2Bedtime
Eu conto uma história curta pra ela.
I tell her a short story.
Contar uma história is the set phrase.
- 3Keeping trust
Não vou contar o seu segredo.
I'm not going to tell your secret.
Contar um segredo = reveal it.
Mistakes English speakers make with contar
Incorrect: Eu dizer a história.
Correct: Eu conto a história.
Stories use contar, not dizer.
Incorrect: Você contar agora?
Correct: Você conta agora?
Conjugate: você conta.
Good to know
Contar does double duty: tell a story and count numbers. Context makes it clear. Brazilians open gossip with Me conta… in a warm tone. For say that…, prefer dizer que…, not contar que…, unless narrating events.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Sharing weekend news
ChatPal
Me conta do seu fim de semana.
Tell me about your weekend.
You
Eu conto rápido: fui à praia.
I'll tell it quickly: I went to the beach.
ChatPal
Conta mais! Choveu?
Tell more! Did it rain?
You
Não. Depois te conto as fotos.
No. Later I'll tell you about the photos.
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 Portuguese
Contar vs dizer?
Contar for stories/secrets; dizer for say.
How do I say tell me?
Me conta… / Conta pra mim…
Does contar mean count?
Yes, also to count numbers.
I tell a story?
Eu conto uma história.
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
