meséld

Meséld is the second-person singular imperative form of the Hungarian verb mesél, meaning to tell, narrate, or relate. It is used to instruct or encourage a listener to tell something, often in the form meséld el [what happened], for example: Meséld el, hogyan történt. The form is typically addressed to one person; the plural imperative would be meséljetek (or meséljetek el).

Etymology and relation to mese: The verb mesél is closely related to the noun mese, meaning tale or story. The imperative meséld inherits its meaning from this root, functioning as a direct command or request to recount a story, event, or information.

Grammatical notes: In Hungarian, the te-imperative is formed by adding a suffix to the stem. For verbs ending in -él, the imperative often becomes -éld, giving mesél → meséld. Pronouns and particles can follow, typically after a space or attached separately, as in Meséld el a történetet. The form does not change with gender.

Usage context: Meséld is common in everyday speech, storytelling, interviews, and literary dialogue. It can express curiosity, persuasion, or a prompt to continue a narrative, and it frequently appears in examples and instructional language about how to recount events.

See also: mesél, mese, story, storytelling, Hungarian grammar.