1. | [t] 告诉；告知to give information to sb by speaking or writing |
He told the news to everybody he saw. 他逢人便讲这个消息。 | |
He told everybody he saw the news. 他逢人便讲这个消息。 | |
Did she tell you her name? 她告诉你她的姓名了吗？ | |
What did I tell you ?(= you should have listened to my advice) 我跟你说什么来着？ | |
Why wasn't I told about the accident? 为什么没人把这次事故告诉我？ | |
They've told us (that) they're not coming. 他们已跟我们说过不来了。 | |
I kept telling myself (that) everything was OK. 我不断告诉自己一切都没问题。 | |
Are you telling me you didn't have any help with this?(= I don't believe what you have said) 你是说在这件事情上你没有得到过任何帮助吗？ | |
Tell me where you live. 告诉我你住哪儿？ | |
‘I'm ready to go now,’ he told her. “我现在可以走了。”他对她说。 |
2. | [t] 提供（情况）；说明；显示to give information about sth |
The advertisement told us very little about the product. 这则广告提供的产品情况很少。 | |
This gauge tells you how much fuel you have left. 这油表显示还剩有多少燃料。 | |
The sound of his breathing told her (that) he was asleep. 她从他呼吸的声音中听出来他睡着了。 |
3. | [t] 讲述；说；表达to express sth in words |
to tell stories/jokes/lies 讲故事；说笑话；撒谎 | |
Are you sure you're telling the truth ? 你说的真是实话吗？ | |
I can't tell you how happy I am. 我无法向你表达我多么高兴。 |
4. | [i] (informal) 泄露（秘密）；告发to let sb know a secret |
Promise you won't tell. 你要保证不往外讲。 | |
‘Who are you going out with tonight?’ ‘ That would be telling !’(= it's a secret) “你今晚要和谁约会？”“那可不能讲！”（是个秘密） |
5. | [t] 命令；指示；吩咐to order or advise sb to do sth |
He was told to sit down and wait. 有人吩咐他坐下等着。 | |
There was a sign telling motorists to slow down. 有一个让汽车司机减速的指示牌。 | |
I kept telling myself to keep calm. 我不断叮嘱自己要保持冷静。 | |
Do what I tell you. 你要照我的吩咐做。 | |
Children must do as they're told . 孩子们必须听话。 | |
Don't tell me what to do! 别跟我说该怎么办！ | |
The doctor told me (that) I should eat less fat. 医生嘱咐我要少吃油腻。 |
6. | [i][t] 知道；看出；确切地判断to know, see or judge sth correctly |
I think he's happy. It's hard to tell . 我想他是幸福的。这很难说。 | |
As far as I can tell , she's enjoying the course. 据我判断，她喜欢这门课程。 | |
I could tell (that) he was angry from his expression. 从他的表情我看得出他生气了。 | |
‘That's not an original.’ ‘How can you tell?’ “那不是正本。”“你怎么知道的？” | |
The only way to tell if you like something is by trying it. 要判定是否喜欢一件东西，唯一的办法是试一试。 |
7. | [t] 识别；分辨；区分；辨认to distinguish one thing or person from another |
It was hard to tell the difference between the two versions. 很难分辨出这两个版本有什么区别。 | |
Can you tell Tom from his twin brother? 你能分得出汤姆和他的孪生弟弟吗？ | |
It's difficult to tell them apart . 很难把他们区分开来。 | |
The kittens look exactly alike─how can you tell which is which ? 这些小猫看上去一模一样，你怎么能分辨出哪只是哪只呢？ |
8. | [i] ~ (on sb) 产生效果，发生影响（尤指负面影响）to have an effect on sb/sth, especially a bad one |
The strain was beginning to tell on the rescue team. 过度的疲劳开始让救援队吃不消了。 |
