How do you use "tell" in a sentence?

Please tell me what happened yesterday. She told the children a bedtime story. Can you tell the twins apart?

tell

Vocabulary Word BritishAmerican ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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Significado: To communicate information to someone; to narrate or distinguish

告诉，讲述，分辨

decir, contar, distinguir

話す、伝える、見分ける

말하다, 전하다, 구별하다

'Tell' means to communicate information to someone, to narrate a story, or to give instructions. Unlike 'say', 'tell' requires a person as its object ('tell someone something'). It also means to distinguish or recognise, as in 'I can't tell the difference'.

「tell」意味着向某人传达信息、讲述故事或给出指示。与「say」不同，「tell」需要一个人作为宾语。它也表示区分或识别。

«Tell» significa comunicar información a alguien, narrar una historia o dar instrucciones. A diferencia de «say», «tell» requiere una persona como objeto. También significa distinguir o reconocer.

「tell」は、誰かに情報を伝える、物語を語る、または指示を与えることを意味します。「say」とは異なり、「tell」は人を目的語として必要とします。また区別や認識を意味することもあります。

'Tell'은 누군가에게 정보를 전달하거나 이야기를 들려주거나 지시를 내리는 것을 의미합니다. 'say'와 달리 'tell'은 목적어로 사람이 필요합니다('tell someone something'). 또한 구별하다, 알아보다라는 의미도 있으며, 예를 들어 'I can't tell the difference'와 같이 씁니다.

Ejemplos

Please tell me what happened yesterday.
请告诉我昨天发生了什么。
Por favor, dime qué pasó ayer.
昨日何があったか教えてください。
어제 무슨 일이 있었는지 말해 주세요.
She told the children a bedtime story.
她给孩子们讲了一个睡前故事。
Ella les contó a los niños un cuento antes de dormir.
彼女は子供たちに寝る前の話を聞かせた。
그녀는 아이들에게 잠자리 이야기를 들려주었다.
Can you tell the twins apart?
你能分辨这对双胞胎吗？
¿Puedes distinguir a los gemelos?
双子の見分けがつきますか？
쌍둥이를 구별할 수 있나요?

Pronunciación

Guía de uso

Contexto: general

Tono: neutral

Origen e historia

From Old English 'tellan' meaning 'to count' or 'to reckon'. Related to German 'zählen' (to count) and Dutch 'tellen'. The shift from counting to narrating reflects how storytelling was once a matter of 'accounting' events — a bank 'teller' preserves the original counting sense.

Contexto cultural

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Más de este tema

say ★★★★★ To utter words; to express in words call ★★★★★ To shout or cry out; to telephone someone; to give a name... ask ★★★★★ To request information or help; to invite talk ★★★★★ To speak; a conversation or discussion; a lecture question ★★★★★ A sentence seeking information; a matter of uncertainty; ... information ★★★★★ Facts or details about someone or something