tells; told /ˈtoʊld/ ; telling tells; told /ˈtoʊld/ ; telling Learner's definition of TELL
1 [+ object]
a : to say or write (something) to (someone)告诉；告知 -
He told us the story.他给我们讲了那个故事。
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Has she told you the good news, yet?她把好消息告诉你了吗？
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Please tell us your name and occupation.请告诉我们你的名字和职业。
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She looked at the palm of my hand and told me my fortune.她看了看我的手掌，然后给我算起卦来。
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I promise not to tell anyone your secret. = I promise not to tell your secret to anyone.我保证不把你的秘密告诉任何人。
—
often + about —
often + that -
If you see her, tell her (that) we miss her.你要是看见她，告诉她我们想念她。
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People tell me (that) Paris is nice this time of year.人们跟我说，每年这个时候巴黎都很美。
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I keep telling myself (that) everything will be OK.我不断告诉自己，一切都会好起来的。
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My husband tells/told me (that) you play golf.我丈夫跟我说/说过你打高尔夫球。
—
often + what, where, etc. -
He told us what happened.他给我们讲了所发生的事情。
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Can you tell them how to play the game while I get the cards?我去拿牌时你跟他们说说这游戏怎么玩，好吗？
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I can't tell you how pleased we are [=we are very pleased] that you could join us.你能加入我们，我都没法说我们有多高兴。
◊ This sense of tell is often used informally to emphasize a statement.此义项的that常用于强调，非正式用法。
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You are wrong, I tell you.你错了，我可以肯定地说。
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I can tell you —it's not worth the hassle.我可以明确告诉你——这件事不值得费那么大劲儿。
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I'm telling you, I don't know anyone by that name.我跟你说，我根本不认识叫那个名字的人。
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I'll tell you one thing: she was awfully arrogant.我就跟你说一件事：她可狂妄得不得了。
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I'll tell you something/this: I would never have bought that car.我要跟你说的是：我原本绝不会买那辆车的。
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Let me tell you (something): he may be old, but he can still win baseball games.我跟你说吧：他也许是老了，但他依然能够打赢棒球赛。
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To tell you the truth, I didn't really like the movie.跟你说实话吧，我其实不喜欢那部电影。
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“The car turned out to be a lemon!” “What did I tell you?” [=you should have listened to me; you should have followed my advice]“那车原来是个废品！”“我跟你说什么来着？”
b : to say (a word or words) to (someone)跟（某人）说…话 -
I didn't get a chance to tell him goodbye. [=to say goodbye to him]我没机会跟他道别了。
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If you see her, tell her hello for me.你要是看见她，代我向她问个好。
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“I feel sick,” he told his mom.“我感到不舒服。”他跟妈妈说。
2
a : to give information to (someone) by speaking or writing（通过口头或书面）告知，通知 [+ object]
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“What is his name?” “I don't know. He didn't tell me.”“他叫什么名字？”“我不知道，他没和我说。
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Be sure to tell me when they get here. = When they get here, be sure to tell me (so).他们一到这儿一定告诉我。
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“I know the answer.” “Don't tell me. [=don't say what the answer is] I want to guess.”“我知道答案。”“别跟我说。我想猜猜看。”
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“Do you know where the library is?” “I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you.” [=I don't know]“你知道图书馆在哪儿吗？”“对不起，我不知道。”
[no object]
b : to let (someone) know a secret向（某人）泄密 [+ object]
[no object]
3
[+ object] : to express (something) by speaking说；讲述 -
He loves telling stories/jokes.他喜欢讲故事/说笑话。
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You shouldn't tell [=reveal] other people's secrets.你不应该说出别人的秘密。
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She got in trouble for telling a lie.她因为说谎而惹上了麻烦。
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I'm telling the truth.我说的是实话。
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I didn't really like the movie, to tell the truth. [=to say what I really think]老实说，我其实不喜欢那部电影。
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Truth be told [=to say what the truth is], the food was pretty bad.说实话，吃的太糟糕了。
4
[+ object] : to give (someone) an instruction or command吩咐；命令；交代 —
usually followed by to + verb通常接动词不定式 -
The police officer told him to stop.警察命令他停下来。
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I was told to stay here.我受命待在这儿。
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I'll tell them to meet us there at 6 o'clock.我会交代他们6点钟在那儿与我们碰头。
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I told myself to pick up some milk on the way home, but I forgot to do it.我跟自己讲，在回家的路上要捎点牛奶，我却忘得一干二净。
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You can't tell me what to do.你不能对我指手画脚。
5
: to inform others that someone has done something wrong or behaved badly —
used especially by children告发，告状（尤用于儿童语言） [no object]
[+ object]
— see also tell on 1 (below) 6
[+ object] : to give information to (someone or something) by doing a particular action or making a particular sound表明；说明 -
When the dog scratches at the door, she is telling you that she wants to go outside.那只狗一挠门，表明她想要出去。
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The oven will beep to tell you when it is preheated.烤箱一预热，就会发出嘀嘀声提示你。
7
[+ object] : to make (something) known to (someone)吐露；显示 -
The expressions on their faces told me everything I needed to know.他们脸上的表情透露了我需要知道的一切。
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The evidence tells us that there were two robbers.证据表明有两名劫匪。
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The signs will tell you what exit to take off the highway.标识牌会显示驶离公路的出口。
8
not used in progressive tenses,
[+ object] : to see or understand the differences between two people or things识别；区分；辨认 -
I can definitely tell a/the difference between the two sauces.我肯定能分出这两种酱汁的差别。
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They look exactly the same. How can you tell which is which?他们看起来一模一样。你怎么辨别哪个是哪个？
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I can't tell who is who with their uniforms on.他们穿上制服后我分辨不出谁是谁。
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He is old enough to tell right from wrong. [=to know what things are good and what things are bad]他这么大了，足以分得清是非对错。
9
not used in progressive tenses : to see or know (something) with certainty看出；确切地判断 [+ object]
—
usually used after can or could通常用在can或could后 -
“He's lying.” “Really? How can you tell?”“他在撒谎。”“真的吗？你怎么能断定？”
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I could tell (by/from the look on his face) that he was lying.（根据他脸上的表情）我能断定他在撒谎。
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You can tell a lot about a person by the kind of car they drive.根据一个人开什么款式的车，你就能判断出他的许多情况。
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No one can tell for sure whether it will happen.这到底会不会发生，谁也说不准。
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Who can tell [=who can predict] what will happen next season?谁能断定下一赛季会发生什么？
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You can never tell what type of mood he will be in.你永远也无法断定他的情绪将会怎样。
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You never can tell how he'll be feeling.你永远也无法断定他会有怎样的感受。
[no object]
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You might win the raffle—you never can tell.你说不定会中奖——这谁也说不准。
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As far/near as I can tell, he is happy at his new job. [=he seems to me to be happy in his new job]据我所知，他很喜欢新工作。
don't tell me
informal 1
—
used to show that you already know what someone is going to say especially because he or she often says such things别说了（用于表示早已知晓，不想再听） 2
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used to express surprise and disappointment别告诉我…，不至于…吧（用于表示惊讶和失望）
I/I'll tell you what
informal also tell you what
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used to introduce a suggestion or to emphasize a statement听我说（用于提出建议或强调） -
(I'll) Tell you what—I'll let you borrow the car if you fill it up with gas.听我说——如果你给车把油加满，我就借给你。
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I tell you what, I wouldn't pay that much for a pair of shoes.听我说，我是不会花那么多钱去买双鞋的。
I told you (so)
informal
—
used to say to someone that you were right about something especially when that person disagreed with you早跟你说过；早提醒过你
tell against
[phrasal verb] tell against (someone) British, formal
: to be a disadvantage to (someone)对…不利
tell apart
[phrasal verb] tell (someone or something) apart
: to see what the differences are between (people or things) : to identify (people or things that look similar to each other)区别；辨别
tell it like it is
US, informal
: to say what the facts are : to speak about unpleasant things in an honest way实话实说
tell me
—
used in speech to introduce a question告诉我，请问（用于引出问题） -
Tell me, is there a subway nearby?请问，附近有地铁吗？
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So tell me, what did you think of the movie?告诉我，你觉得那部电影怎么样？
tell me about it
informal
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used to say that you understand what someone is talking about because you have had the same or a similar experience你说对了；的确
tell of
[phrasal verb] formal + literary 1 tell of (something)
a : to be evidence of (something) : indicate显示；表明 b : to describe (something) : to make the details of (something) known描述；说明 2
tell (someone) of (something) : to talk to (someone) about (something)告诉
tell off
[phrasal verb] 1 tell (someone) off or tell off (someone) informal
US : to yell at or insult (someone who did or said something that made you angry)（因被惹生气而）大声斥责，辱骂 —
often + for 2
British : to criticize (someone) in an angry way from a position of authority申斥；训斥；斥责 —
often + for
tell on
[phrasal verb] 1
tell on (someone) informal : to tell someone in authority about the bad behavior or actions of (someone)告发；检举 2
tell on (someone or something) not used in progressive tenses : to have a noticeable effect on (someone or something)对…影响显著
tell time
or tell the time — see 1time
there's no telling
—
used to say that it is impossible to know something with certainty难以预料；不好说
you're telling me
informal
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used to say that you already know and completely agree with something that was just said我完全同意；确实如此