to tell
01
告诉, 讲述
to use words and give someone information
Transitive: to tell sb about sth
例子
Did he tell you about the new project?
他有没有告诉你关于新项目的事？
She told her family about her exciting job offer.
她告诉了她的家人她令人兴奋的工作机会。
1.1
透露, 泄露
to make confidential information or a secret known
Intransitive
例子
' How did you do on the exam? ' ' I 'm not telling. You'll have to wait for the results.'
'你考试考得怎么样？' '我不说。你得等结果。'
She promised not to tell, but her guilty expression gave her away.
她承诺不告诉，但她内疚的表情出卖了她。
1.2
告诉, 讲述
to use words in order to express or narrate something
Transitive: to tell sth
Ditransitive: to tell sb sth
例子
Can you tell me if what he said is true or not?
你能告诉我他说的是真的还是假的吗？
He asked his friend to tell him the truth about what happened.
他请他的朋友告诉他发生的事情的真相。
1.3
告诉, 建议
to instruct or recommend someone to do a particular thing
Ditransitive: to tell sb to do sth
例子
He was told to turn off his phone during the movie.
他被告知在电影期间关掉手机。
Passengers are required to do as they are told by the flight attendants.
乘客需要按照空乘人员告诉他们的去做。
1.4
显示, 透露
to provide information or facts about something in non-verbal ways
Ditransitive: to tell sb a piece of information | to tell sb that
例子
His facial expression told me that he was upset.
他的面部表情告诉我他很不高兴。
The chart tells us the sales performance of the company.
图表向我们展示了公司的销售业绩。
02
确定, 辨别
to realize or determine with confidence
Transitive: to tell that
Intransitive
例子
' He 's definitely not from around here. ' ' How can you tell?'
'他肯定不是本地人。' '你怎么能断定？'
From what I can tell, the weather is going to be nice this weekend.
据我所知，这个周末天气会很好。
2.1
区分, 辨别
to be able to differentiate a person or thing from another
Transitive: to tell the difference between two things | to tell that
例子
Can you tell which song is the original and which is the cover?
你能分辨出哪首歌是原唱，哪首是翻唱吗？
Can you tell which twin is which?
你能分辨出双胞胎中谁是谁吗？
03
显现出来, 产生后果
to have an effect that is noticeable, particularly a harmful one
Intransitive
例子
He 's been neglecting his health lately and it 's starting to tell.
他最近一直忽视自己的健康，现在开始显现出影响了。
The harsh winter is starting to tell on the condition of the roads.
严冬开始影响道路的状况。
