Tell me about it means 'I know exactly what you mean'. It's the reply to a complaint you know well yourself: 'The bus was late again.' 'Tell me about it — I waited forty minutes yesterday.' Nobody expects details; usually your own similar story follows. If you go quiet and wait for the story, though, the words mean literally 'tell me'.
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a familiar complaint or experience → Tell me about it
- 'The bus was late again.' 'Tell me about it — I waited forty minutes yesterday.'
- 'These boxes are heavier than they look.' 'Tell me about it. I carried them upstairs.'
- 'It's hard to find a quiet room here.' 'Tell me about it!'
What changed
First versionSay me about it — I had the same problem yesterday.
RevisionTell me about it — I had the same problem yesterday.
Say and tell both mean talk, so say me about it feels natural. But say doesn't take the listener straight after it; tell does: tell me. With the right verb, the reply sounds familiar.
Me too and same here simply report 'same for me'. Tell me about it adds feeling: 'oh, I know, I'm sick of it too'. Tell me more, on the other hand, really asks the person to keep talking.
Your turn
A friend complains about a problem you know well. Complete the idiomatic agreement: ___ me about it!
Show the answer
Tell — The fixed reaction is Tell me about it. Tell goes straight before the listener; say doesn't work that way, and say me is a mistake.
A colleague complains about the slow office internet. Show you feel the same in one sentence with tell me about it.
'The Wi-Fi is so slow today.' 'Tell me about it — my video call froze three times.'
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