When would you use "I'm telling you I didn't do it!" over "I tell you I didn't do it!"?
tell/telling
I would always prefer "I'm telling you" in that sentence. Two reasons: you have been telling this to the other person, and you still are, so it's a progressive action (you're in the middle of the process of telling him/her). Also, you're in the middle of a sentence where you're telling him/her again, so it's also progressive that way. Finally, it's also a fixed expression: people have been saying "I'm telling you..." for a long time, so that's how people expect to hear it.
But there's a similar construction where I'd say "I tell you": "He's a monster! A MONSTER, I TELL YOU!" ("I tell you" always comes at the end, after a repetition.) But I got this from the cartoon Ren & Stimpy, where the character Ren said things like that all the time, and I don't know if they got it from anywhere else... I do run into other people who say it, but they're probably mostly people around my age (23) and younger. And it's always used humorously. :) You can probably safely ignore this whole thing, and just stick with "I'm telling you..." at the beginning of the sentence. ;)
- Kef
But there's a similar construction where I'd say "I tell you": "He's a monster! A MONSTER, I TELL YOU!" ("I tell you" always comes at the end, after a repetition.) But I got this from the cartoon Ren & Stimpy, where the character Ren said things like that all the time, and I don't know if they got it from anywhere else... I do run into other people who say it, but they're probably mostly people around my age (23) and younger. And it's always used humorously. :) You can probably safely ignore this whole thing, and just stick with "I'm telling you..." at the beginning of the sentence. ;)
- Kef
<Also, you're in the middle of a sentence where you're telling him/her again, so it's also progressive that way. Finally, it's also a fixed expression: people have been saying "I'm telling you..." for a long time, so that's how people expect to hear it. >
Ok, but forgetting the other "I tell you" expression, which has nothing to do with this topic, why do you think many people also say "I tell you I didn't do it!"?
Ok, but forgetting the other "I tell you" expression, which has nothing to do with this topic, why do you think many people also say "I tell you I didn't do it!"?
I don't hear that very often, though that doesn't mean people don't say it... but it just doesn't feel right to me.
Bridget, "tell" has two very similar meanings, a declarative one, so "I tell..." is natural, and a second meaning, tell = to describe a situation in words for someone else. In this case "I am telling..." is natural.
I would always prefer "I'm telling you" in that sentence. Two reasons: you have been telling this to the other person, and you still are, so it's a progressive action (you're in the middle of the process of telling him/her)::
And how would you analyse these, then?
I make a toast to...
I'm making a toast to...
Do you know about declaratives?
And how would you analyse these, then?
I make a toast to...
I'm making a toast to...
Do you know about declaratives?