tell
gb/tˈɛl/ us/tˈɛl/
A1
영어
~ 200
의미
의미 0개
동사
A1
action
1
Say something to someone
To give information to someone by speaking or writing.
사용 패턴：
to tell [someone] [something]
자주 하는 실수：
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell' with 'say'. 'Tell' is usually followed by a person: 'Tell me', not 'Tell to me'.
유의어
inform (More formal and often used in official contexts.)
반의어
withhold (To deliberately not give information.)
연어
tell the truth
|tell a story
|tell a joke
|tell someone something
|tell the difference
주제
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
예문
- 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.
학습자용 예문
- 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.
동사
A1
action
2
Give an order or instruction
To say to someone that they should do something.
사용 패턴：
to tell [someone] to [do something]
자주 하는 실수：
Learners sometimes forget to use 'to' before the verb: 'She told me go' should be 'She told me to go'.
유의어
instruct (More formal and often used in professional or educational contexts.)
반의어
ask (To request politely rather than command.)
연어
tell someone to stop
|tell someone to wait
|tell someone what to do
주제
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
예문
- 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.
학습자용 예문
- My mom told me to eat my food.
- The boss told us to work faster.
- I told him to come here.
동사
B1
action
3
Recognize or distinguish something
To know or understand something by seeing or hearing it.
사용 패턴：
to tell [something] from [something]
자주 하는 실수：
Learners sometimes confuse this with 'guess', but 'tell' here means you know from evidence, not chance.
유의어
distinguish (More formal; often used in academic contexts.)
반의어
confuse (To mistake one thing for another.)
연어
tell the difference
|tell apart
주제
perception
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
예문
- I can tell from your face that you're upset.
- You can never tell what will happen next.
- Can you tell the twins apart?
학습자용 예문
- I can tell she is happy.
- Can you tell which is bigger?
- I can tell the two cats apart.
동사
B1
action
4
Reveal a secret about someone
To say something secret about someone, especially to an authority.
사용 패턴：
to tell on [someone]
자주 하는 실수：
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell on' with simply 'tell'; 'tell on' specifically means reporting wrongdoing.
유의어
betray (More emotional; implies disloyalty.)
반의어
protect (To keep someone's secret or avoid exposing them.)
연어
tell on someone
|tell tales
주제
communication
|social
|law
|relationships
예문
- He told on his classmate for cheating.
- Don't tell anyone what I said.
- She told the police everything she knew.
학습자용 예문
- He told the teacher I was late.
- She told on me to my mom.
- I told the police about the man.
문법
기본형
tell
IPA
GB/tˈɛl/
US/tˈɛl/
음절 및 강세
tell （1음절）
Stress on 1st syllable (tell)
활용형
Verb
- Base: tell
- 3rd Person Singular: tells
- Present Participle: telling
- Past: told
- Past Participle: told
관련 단어
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
핵심 포인트
- Irregular past: told Verb
- Irregular past participle: told Verb
표현
tell a story
1/tˈɛl ə stˈɔɹi/
fixed phrase
Recount events in words
To talk about events, real or made up, in detail.
예문
- 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.
예문
- 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.
예문
- 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.
예문
- Please tell the truth about what happened.
- He finally told the truth after many lies.
- He finally told the truth after hours of questioning.