tell
BrE /tɛl/ AmE /tɛl/
verb en → es
past told pp told ing telling
to give information to someone by speaking or writing
decir, informar a alguien
- tell somebody something
- tell somebody that...
Collocations tell the truth · tell a story
-
I'll tell you what happened.
Te diré lo que pasó.
-
She told me that she was leaving.
Ella me dijo que se iba.
to order or instruct someone to do something
ordenar, instruir a alguien
- tell somebody to do something
Collocations tell someone to stop · tell someone to leave
-
The teacher told us to be quiet.
El profesor nos dijo que nos calláramos.
-
He told me to wait here.
Él me dijo que esperara aquí.
to recognize the difference between two things or people
distinguir, reconocer la diferencia entre
- tell somebody/something from something
Collocations tell right from wrong · tell a lie from the truth
-
I can't tell the difference between these two wines.
No puedo distinguir la diferencia entre estos dos vinos.
-
She could tell her brother from her sister just by their voices.
Ella podía reconocer a su hermano de su hermana solo por sus voces.
Phrasal verbs
reprender, regañar
-
The boss told her off for being late.
El jefe la reprendió por llegar tarde.
distinguir, diferenciar
-
It's hard to tell the twins apart.
Es difícil distinguir a los gemelos.
Idioms
saber leer la hora
-
She can tell time now.
Ella sabe leer la hora ahora.
decir una mentira blanca
-
I told a white lie to avoid hurting her feelings.
Dije una mentira blanca para evitar lastimar sus sentimientos.