tell
verb uk/tel/ us/tel/ told | told
(SPEAK)
A1 [ T ]讲述，说;告诉
to say something to someone, often giving them information or instructions
Tell me about your holiday then. 那么跟我说说你的假期吧。
[ + two objects ] Can you tell me how to get to the library? 请问去图书馆怎么走？
[ + obj + (that) ] Did you tell anyone (that) you were coming to see me? 你有没有跟任何人说起要来看我？
[ + obj + speech ] "I'm leaving you," she told him. “我要离开你，”她跟他说。
[ + obj + to infinitive ] I told her to go home. 我叫她回家。
formal He told us of his extraordinary childhood. 他给我们讲述了他不寻常的童年。
I can't tell you how grateful I am for your help (= I am extremely grateful). 我对你的帮助感激不尽。
tell a lie/lies 说谎，撒谎
to say something/things that are not true
She's always telling lies. 她老是说谎。
tell it like it isinformal 如实说，实话实说
to tell the facts without hiding anything
tell talesdisapproving （通常指小孩）告状，揭短
If someone, usually a child, tells tales, they tell someone such as a teacher about something bad that someone else has done.
Your classmates won't trust you if you're always telling tales, Alvin. 阿尔文，如果你老是打小报告，你的同学会不信任你的。
See also: telltale
tell the truth 说真话，讲实话
to speak honestly
How do you know she's telling the truth? 你怎么知道她讲的是实话？
to tell (you) the truth 说句老实话，说实话
to be honest
To tell (you) the truth, I didn't understand a word of what he was saying. 说实话，他说的我一点儿也听不懂。
- More examples
- They wouldn't tell me how they had got my address.
- I felt it was my duty to tell them the truth.
- Gather (a)round, children, and I'll tell you a story.
- The doctor told me to avoid fatty foods.
- No-one told me she was ill.
(KNOW)
B2 [ I or T ]知道;辨别;确定
to know, recognize, or be certain
"He's Dutch." "How can you tell?" “他是荷兰人。”“你怎么知道？”
[ + (that) ] I could tell (that) you were unhappy. 我看得出你当时很不高兴。
B2 [ T ]（事物）显露，显示
If something tells you something, it gives you information.
What does the survey tell us about the lives of teenagers? 这次调查给我们提供了有关青少年生活的什么信息？
tell the differenceC1 区分，区别
to notice a difference in quality between two things
This coffee is about half the price of that one and yet you really can't tell the difference. 这种咖啡的价格差不多是那种的一半，而你根本分辨不出它们有什么不同。
tell someone's fortune(also tell fortunes) 给（某人）算命
to say what will happen in someone's future
At the fair, there was a lady who told your fortune. 集市上有一个算命的女人。
tell the timeUK (US tell time) 会看钟表
to be able to understand a clock
My daughter has just learned to tell the time. 我女儿刚刚学会看时间。
there is no telling 不知道，无法知道
there is no way of knowing
There is no telling what the future will hold for them. 不知道他们的未来会怎么样。
you never can tellB2 (also you can never tell) 很难说，没法预料
said to mean that you can never know or be certain
Who knows what will happen to Peter and me in the future - you can never tell. 谁知道彼得和我将来会怎么样呢——谁也无法预料。
- More examples
- I could tell from her expression that something serious had happened.
- You can tell it's autumn because the leaves have started to fall.
- Who can tell what the future holds?
- Can you tell the the difference between poisonous mushrooms and edible varieties?
- I could tell he was really upset, though he tried not to show it.
(HAVE AN EFFECT)
[ I ]产生效果，产生影响
to have an effect
She's been under a lot of stress recently and it's starting to tell. 她最近压力很大，而且这已经开始让她吃不消了。
Idioms
I'm telling youidiom (also I tell you, I can tell you) （用来强调所说的是真的）听我说，我说的没错
used to emphasize that what you are saying is true, and should be believed
I'm telling you, he's the best player in the American League. 我跟你说，他是美国联盟中最好的队员。
We’ve been waiting a long time for this, I’ll tell you. 我告诉你，我们等这个已经等了很久了。
(I) told you (so)!idiom informalC2 我告诉过你会这样的！
said when something bad happens after you warned someone that it would happen
(I'll) tell you whatidiom C2 我的主张（或意见、建议）是…;你听我说
used to suggest a plan
I'll tell you what - we'll split the money between us. 听我说——我们两人把钱分了吧。
tell me about it!idiom informal （用来表示有相同的感受，有同样的体验）可不是嘛，的确这样
used to say that you feel the same way or have had the same experience
"He's driving me crazy with his stupid jokes." "Tell me about it!" “他愚蠢的笑话都快把我逼疯了。”“可不是嘛！”
tell me another one!idiom informal (UK informal also tell me another!) 不见得吧！我不相信！
used to say that you do not believe what someone has told you
"I worked all day yesterday." "Oh yeah, tell me another one!" “我昨天工作了一整天。”“是吗，鬼才信你！”
you're telling me!idiom informal 那还用说！你说的太对了！
used to say that you strongly agree with what someone has just said
"Stephen's in such a bad mood today." "You're telling me!" “斯蒂芬今天心情很不好。”“那还用说！”
Phrasal verbs
tell against someone/something 对…不利
to make someone or something more likely to fail
His reputation as a troublemaker told against him when he tried to change his job. 他惹是生非的坏名声在他想换工作的时候对他不利了。
tell something/someone apart 分辨，区分
to be able to see the difference between two very similar things or people
As babies, the twins looked so much alike that I just couldn't tell them apart. 这对双胞胎在婴儿时期长得非常像，我根本无法将他们分开。
tell someone offB2 责备，斥责（某人）
to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong
The teacher told me off for swearing. 我因骂脏话遭到了老师的训斥。
tell on someone informal（尤指向当权者）告发（某人）
to give information about someone, usually something bad that they have said or done, especially to a person in authority
mostlyUK损害（某人）的健康；对（某人）产生不良影响
to have a bad effect on someone's health or behaviour
A succession of late nights had begun to tell on him and his work was suffering. 连续的熬夜开始让他的身体吃不消，他的工作也受到了影响。