Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| сказа́ть | skazátʹ | perfective |
| говори́ть | govorítʹ | imperfective |
The verb is used to pass information to others. While both forms relate to communication, they are used in different contexts. For example, the phrase 'to tell the truth' is commonly expressed idiomatically using the perfective form сказа́ть правду.
Which one should you use?
The imperfective form говори́ть is used for the ongoing process of speaking or the general ability to speak (to speak / to be talking). In contrast, the perfective form сказа́ть is used when focusing on the completed act of saying something or the specific result of conveying a piece of information (to say / to tell).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When telling something to someone, the person receiving the information must be in the dative case.
How do you pronounce it?
skazátʹ
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the imperfective говори́ть to mean 'to tell a specific fact,' but in Russian, the perfective сказа́ть is required for the completed act of telling.
Did you know?
- The word ска́зка meaning 'fairy tale' is a noun derived from the verb сказа́ть. It literally translates to 'a thing that is told'.
- Russian has a specific verb рассказа́ть for 'to tell' when it means to recount a long story or a detailed narrative. It is a different prefix version of сказа́ть used specifically for storytelling.
- While сказа́ть is the standard way to say 'to tell', using the archaic молви́ть instead can make you sound like a character from a medieval epic or a legendary poem.
Examples in context
- Я хочу сказать вам спасибо!I want to tell you thank you!
- Ты можешь мне рассказать о своей поездке?Can you tell me about your trip?
- Мне нужно тебе что-то сообщить.I need to tell you something.
- Ты можешь мне подсказать, как это сделать?Can you tell me how to do it?
- Ты должен мне всё сказа́ть.Ty dolzhen mne vsyo skazat'.You must tell me everything.
- Я забыл сказа́ть ему правду.Ya zabyl skazat' yemu pravdu.I forgot to tell him the truth.
- Она смогла сказа́ть мне адрес.Ona smogla skazat' mne adres.She was able to tell me the address.
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Sergey are discussing a secret in the office.
- Екатерина EkaterinaТы успе́л сказа́ть ему о встре́че?Ty uspel skazat' yemu o vstreche?Did you manage to tell him about the meeting?
- Сергей SergeyДа, я всё сказа́л сегодня у́тром.Da, ya vsyo skazal segodnya utrom.Yes, I told him everything this morning.
- Екатерина EkaterinaХорошо, я поговорю́ с ним ещё раз.Khorosho, ya pogovoryu s nim yeshcho raz.Good, I will speak with him one more time.
- Сергей SergeyНе ну́жно, он уже́ всё зна́ет.Ne nuzhno, on uzhe vsyo znayet.No need, he already knows everything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tell” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
