tell
gb/tˈɛl/ us/tˈɛl/
A1
英语
~ 200
义项
0 个义项
动词
A1
action
1
Say something to someone
To give information to someone by speaking or writing.
用法模式：
to tell [someone] [something]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell' with 'say'. 'Tell' is usually followed by a person: 'Tell me', not 'Tell to me'.
近义词
inform (More formal and often used in official contexts.)
反义词
withhold (To deliberately not give information.)
搭配
tell the truth
|tell a story
|tell a joke
|tell someone something
|tell the difference
主题
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
例句
- 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.
学习者例句
- 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.
动词
A1
action
2
Give an order or instruction
To say to someone that they should do something.
用法模式：
to tell [someone] to [do something]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes forget to use 'to' before the verb: 'She told me go' should be 'She told me to go'.
近义词
instruct (More formal and often used in professional or educational contexts.)
反义词
ask (To request politely rather than command.)
搭配
tell someone to stop
|tell someone to wait
|tell someone what to do
主题
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
例句
- 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.
学习者例句
- My mom told me to eat my food.
- The boss told us to work faster.
- I told him to come here.
动词
B1
action
3
Recognize or distinguish something
To know or understand something by seeing or hearing it.
用法模式：
to tell [something] from [something]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes confuse this with 'guess', but 'tell' here means you know from evidence, not chance.
近义词
distinguish (More formal; often used in academic contexts.)
反义词
confuse (To mistake one thing for another.)
搭配
tell the difference
|tell apart
主题
perception
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
例句
- I can tell from your face that you're upset.
- You can never tell what will happen next.
- Can you tell the twins apart?
学习者例句
- I can tell she is happy.
- Can you tell which is bigger?
- I can tell the two cats apart.
动词
B1
action
4
Reveal a secret about someone
To say something secret about someone, especially to an authority.
用法模式：
to tell on [someone]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes confuse 'tell on' with simply 'tell'; 'tell on' specifically means reporting wrongdoing.
近义词
betray (More emotional; implies disloyalty.)
反义词
protect (To keep someone's secret or avoid exposing them.)
搭配
tell on someone
|tell tales
主题
communication
|social
|law
|relationships
例句
- He told on his classmate for cheating.
- Don't tell anyone what I said.
- She told the police everything she knew.
学习者例句
- He told the teacher I was late.
- She told on me to my mom.
- I told the police about the man.
语法
词典原形
tell
IPA
GB/tˈɛl/
US/tˈɛl/
音节与重音
tell （1 个音节）
Stress on 1st syllable (tell)
词形变化
Verb
- Base: tell
- 3rd Person Singular: tells
- Present Participle: telling
- Past: told
- Past Participle: told
词族
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
语法重点
- Irregular past: told Verb
- Irregular past participle: told Verb
相关表达
tell a story
1/tˈɛl ə stˈɔɹi/
fixed phrase
Recount events in words
To talk about events, real or made up, in detail.
例句
- 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.
例句
- 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.
例句
- 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.
例句
- Please tell the truth about what happened.
- He finally told the truth after many lies.
- He finally told the truth after hours of questioning.