tell
gb/tˈɛl/ us/tˈɛl/
A1
英語
~ 200
語義
0件の語義
動詞
A1
action
1
Say something to someone
To give information to someone by speaking or writing.
用法パターン：
to tell [someone] [something]
よくある間違い：
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell' with 'say'. 'Tell' is usually followed by a person: 'Tell me', not 'Tell to me'.
類義語
inform (More formal and often used in official contexts.)
対義語
withhold (To deliberately not give information.)
コロケーション
tell the truth
|tell a story
|tell a joke
|tell someone something
|tell the difference
テーマ
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
例文
- 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.
学習者向け例文
- 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.
動詞
A1
action
2
Give an order or instruction
To say to someone that they should do something.
用法パターン：
to tell [someone] to [do something]
よくある間違い：
Learners sometimes forget to use 'to' before the verb: 'She told me go' should be 'She told me to go'.
類義語
instruct (More formal and often used in professional or educational contexts.)
対義語
ask (To request politely rather than command.)
コロケーション
tell someone to stop
|tell someone to wait
|tell someone what to do
テーマ
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
例文
- 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.
学習者向け例文
- My mom told me to eat my food.
- The boss told us to work faster.
- I told him to come here.
動詞
B1
action
3
Recognize or distinguish something
To know or understand something by seeing or hearing it.
用法パターン：
to tell [something] from [something]
よくある間違い：
Learners sometimes confuse this with 'guess', but 'tell' here means you know from evidence, not chance.
類義語
distinguish (More formal; often used in academic contexts.)
対義語
confuse (To mistake one thing for another.)
コロケーション
tell the difference
|tell apart
テーマ
perception
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
例文
- I can tell from your face that you're upset.
- You can never tell what will happen next.
- Can you tell the twins apart?
学習者向け例文
- I can tell she is happy.
- Can you tell which is bigger?
- I can tell the two cats apart.
動詞
B1
action
4
Reveal a secret about someone
To say something secret about someone, especially to an authority.
用法パターン：
to tell on [someone]
よくある間違い：
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell on' with simply 'tell'; 'tell on' specifically means reporting wrongdoing.
類義語
betray (More emotional; implies disloyalty.)
対義語
protect (To keep someone's secret or avoid exposing them.)
コロケーション
tell on someone
|tell tales
テーマ
communication
|social
|law
|relationships
例文
- He told on his classmate for cheating.
- Don't tell anyone what I said.
- She told the police everything she knew.
学習者向け例文
- He told the teacher I was late.
- She told on me to my mom.
- I told the police about the man.
文法
辞書形
tell
IPA
GB/tˈɛl/
US/tˈɛl/
音節・強勢
tell （1音節）
Stress on 1st syllable (tell)
活用形
Verb
- Base: tell
- 3rd Person Singular: tells
- Present Participle: telling
- Past: told
- Past Participle: told
関連語
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
文法ポイント
- Irregular past: told Verb
- Irregular past participle: told Verb
表現
tell a story
1/tˈɛl ə stˈɔɹi/
fixed phrase
Recount events in words
To talk about events, real or made up, in detail.
例文
- 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.
例文
- 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.
例文
- 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.
例文
- Please tell the truth about what happened.
- He finally told the truth after many lies.
- He finally told the truth after hours of questioning.