చెప్పు
ceppu/t͡ɕepːu/
In Telugu, the way to say 'tell' is చెప్పు (ceppu).
The verb చెప్పు is used to express the action of passing information to someone.
Meaning: to pass information (verb)
Which one should you use?
While చెప్పు is the standard form, it is specifically the informal or singular version. For a more polite or formal way to say 'tell', use చెప్పండి.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on the tense and the level of politeness. The past tense for 'I told' is చెప్పాను, and the continuous form 'I am telling' is చెప్తున్నాను. To express necessity, such as 'must tell' or 'should tell', you add the suffix '-ాలి' to the stem to get చెప్పాలి.
How do you pronounce it?
ceppu
Did you know?
- The word చెప్పు shares its same spelling and sound as a common Telugu noun meaning 'footwear' or 'slipper'.
- The ancient ancestor of చెప్పు is traced back to the Proto-Dravidian root *kep-, which has survived through thousands of years of linguistic evolution.
- Because చెప్పు is the informal form, using it with a stranger or an elder could be seen as quite blunt or even rude.
Examples in context
- నీ రోజువారీ జీవితం గురించి చెప్పుTell me about your daily life.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use చెప్పు when asking someone to describe their daily life.Tatoeba #7207856 by bharath, translation #16935 by Fanki
- నేను మీకు ఏం చెప్పగలను?What can I tell you?
- ఆమె చెప్పిందిShe told
- ఆ విషయం నాకు చెప్పు.aa vishayam naaku cheppu.Tell me that matter.
Example conversation
Pallavi asks Venkat about a secret he is holding.
- పల్లవి Pallaviనీకు తెలిసిన రహస్యం చెప్పు.neeku telisina rahasyam cheppu.Tell me the secret you know.
- వెంకట్ Venkatనేను ఇప్పుడు చెప్పలేను.nenu ippudu cheppalenu.I cannot tell you now.
- పల్లవి Pallaviదయచేసి నాకు త్వరగా చెప్పు.dayachesi naaku twaraga cheppu.Please tell me quickly.
- వెంకట్ Venkatసరే, రేపు చెబుతాను.sare, repu chebutanu.Okay, I will tell you tomorrow.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry చెప్పు, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries చెప్పు, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
