tell
gb/tˈɛl/ us/tˈɛl/
A1
Английски
~ 200
Значения
0 значения
Глагол
A1
action
1
Say something to someone
To give information to someone by speaking or writing.
Модел на употреба:
to tell [someone] [something]
Честа грешка:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell' with 'say'. 'Tell' is usually followed by a person: 'Tell me', not 'Tell to me'.
Синоними
inform (More formal and often used in official contexts.)
Антоними
withhold (To deliberately not give information.)
Колокации
tell the truth
|tell a story
|tell a joke
|tell someone something
|tell the difference
Теми
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Примери
- She told me the results of the test.
- Please tell him that I will be late.
- He told the class an interesting story.
- I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help.
Примери за учащи
- Please tell me your name.
- Can you tell him the news?
- I will tell you about my trip.
- She told her friend a funny story.
Глагол
A1
action
2
Give an order or instruction
To say to someone that they should do something.
Модел на употреба:
to tell [someone] to [do something]
Честа грешка:
Learners sometimes forget to use 'to' before the verb: 'She told me go' should be 'She told me to go'.
Синоними
instruct (More formal and often used in professional or educational contexts.)
Антоними
ask (To request politely rather than command.)
Колокации
tell someone to stop
|tell someone to wait
|tell someone what to do
Теми
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Примери
- The teacher told us to open our books.
- I told him to call me when he arrived.
- She told her children to clean their rooms.
Примери за учащи
- My mom told me to eat my food.
- The boss told us to work faster.
- I told him to come here.
Глагол
B1
action
3
Recognize or distinguish something
To know or understand something by seeing or hearing it.
Модел на употреба:
to tell [something] from [something]
Честа грешка:
Learners sometimes confuse this with 'guess', but 'tell' here means you know from evidence, not chance.
Синоними
distinguish (More formal; often used in academic contexts.)
Антоними
confuse (To mistake one thing for another.)
Колокации
tell the difference
|tell apart
Теми
perception
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
Примери
- I can tell from your face that you're upset.
- You can never tell what will happen next.
- Can you tell the twins apart?
Примери за учащи
- I can tell she is happy.
- Can you tell which is bigger?
- I can tell the two cats apart.
Глагол
B1
action
4
Reveal a secret about someone
To say something secret about someone, especially to an authority.
Модел на употреба:
to tell on [someone]
Честа грешка:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell on' with simply 'tell'; 'tell on' specifically means reporting wrongdoing.
Синоними
betray (More emotional; implies disloyalty.)
Антоними
protect (To keep someone's secret or avoid exposing them.)
Колокации
tell on someone
|tell tales
Теми
communication
|social
|law
|relationships
Примери
- He told on his classmate for cheating.
- Don't tell anyone what I said.
- She told the police everything she knew.
Примери за учащи
- He told the teacher I was late.
- She told on me to my mom.
- I told the police about the man.
Граматика
Речникова форма
tell
IPA
GB/tˈɛl/
US/tˈɛl/
Срички и ударение
tell (1 сричка)
Stress on 1st syllable (tell)
Форми на думата
Verb
- Base: tell
- 3rd Person Singular: tells
- Present Participle: telling
- Past: told
- Past Participle: told
Семейство думи
Forms
tells
verb
telling
verb
told
verb
Core family
teller
noun B1
Related words
retell
verb B1
Negative and opposite forms
untold
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
telltale
adjective B2
foretell
verb B2
Граматични акценти
- Irregular past: told Verb
- Irregular past participle: told Verb
Изрази
tell a story
1/tˈɛl ə stˈɔɹi/
fixed phrase
Recount events in words
To talk about events, real or made up, in detail.
Примери
- Grandpa loves to tell stories about his youth.
- She told a story about a dragon.
tell on (someone)
1/tˈɛl ˈɔn sˈʌmwˌʌn/
phrasal verb
informal
Report wrongdoing to authority
To say to an authority that someone did something wrong.
Примери
- If you don't stop, I'll tell on you.
- She told on her brother for breaking the vase.
tell the difference
1/tˈɛl ðə dˈɪfɹəns/
fixed phrase
Recognize how things differ
To see how two things are not the same.
Примери
- Can you tell the difference between these fabrics?
- I can’t tell the difference between these two shades of blue.
- It's hard to tell the difference between the twins.
- Can you tell the difference between fake and real leather?
tell the truth
1/tˈɛl ðə tɹˈuθ/
fixed phrase
Say what is true honestly
To say what is true and not lie.
Примери
- Please tell the truth about what happened.
- He finally told the truth after many lies.
- He finally told the truth after hours of questioning.