tell
gb/tˈɛl/ us/tˈɛl/
A1
Inglés
~ 200
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Verbo
A1
action
1
Say something to someone
To give information to someone by speaking or writing.
Patrón de uso:
to tell [someone] [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell' with 'say'. 'Tell' is usually followed by a person: 'Tell me', not 'Tell to me'.
Sinónimos
inform (More formal and often used in official contexts.)
Antónimos
withhold (To deliberately not give information.)
Colocaciones
tell the truth
|tell a story
|tell a joke
|tell someone something
|tell the difference
Temas
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- 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.
Verbo
A1
action
2
Give an order or instruction
To say to someone that they should do something.
Patrón de uso:
to tell [someone] to [do something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes forget to use 'to' before the verb: 'She told me go' should be 'She told me to go'.
Sinónimos
instruct (More formal and often used in professional or educational contexts.)
Antónimos
ask (To request politely rather than command.)
Colocaciones
tell someone to stop
|tell someone to wait
|tell someone what to do
Temas
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- My mom told me to eat my food.
- The boss told us to work faster.
- I told him to come here.
Verbo
B1
action
3
Recognize or distinguish something
To know or understand something by seeing or hearing it.
Patrón de uso:
to tell [something] from [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse this with 'guess', but 'tell' here means you know from evidence, not chance.
Sinónimos
distinguish (More formal; often used in academic contexts.)
Antónimos
confuse (To mistake one thing for another.)
Colocaciones
tell the difference
|tell apart
Temas
perception
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- I can tell from your face that you're upset.
- You can never tell what will happen next.
- Can you tell the twins apart?
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I can tell she is happy.
- Can you tell which is bigger?
- I can tell the two cats apart.
Verbo
B1
action
4
Reveal a secret about someone
To say something secret about someone, especially to an authority.
Patrón de uso:
to tell on [someone]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell on' with simply 'tell'; 'tell on' specifically means reporting wrongdoing.
Sinónimos
betray (More emotional; implies disloyalty.)
Antónimos
protect (To keep someone's secret or avoid exposing them.)
Colocaciones
tell on someone
|tell tales
Temas
communication
|social
|law
|relationships
Ejemplos
- He told on his classmate for cheating.
- Don't tell anyone what I said.
- She told the police everything she knew.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- He told the teacher I was late.
- She told on me to my mom.
- I told the police about the man.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
tell
AFI
GB/tˈɛl/
US/tˈɛl/
Sílabas y acento
tell (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (tell)
Formas de la palabra
Verb
- Base: tell
- 3rd Person Singular: tells
- Present Participle: telling
- Past: told
- Past Participle: told
Familia de palabras
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
Aspectos destacados
- Irregular past: told Verb
- Irregular past participle: told Verb
Expresiones
tell a story
1/tˈɛl ə stˈɔɹi/
fixed phrase
Recount events in words
To talk about events, real or made up, in detail.
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos
- Please tell the truth about what happened.
- He finally told the truth after many lies.
- He finally told the truth after hours of questioning.