tell
/tel/verb
उच्चारण टेल
बताना; कहना
Basic wordPYP · asked 1 time
Asked in previous papers
as idiom, phrasal verb
- 1
[T] ~ sb (sth) | ~ sb (that)… | ~ sb to do sth
to give information to somebody by speaking or writing; to order somebody to do something
बताना; कहना
- Tell me your name.
- She told me to wait.
- Tell the driver to stop at the next corner.
+ 4 more examples
- Please tell me the truth.
- I told her that the exam was postponed.
- The doctor told him to rest for a week.
- Can you tell me the way to the post office?
- 2
[I, T] ~ A from B
to know, recognize or judge something correctly
पहचानना, अंतर करना
- I can't tell the twins apart.
- It is hard to tell whether the painting is genuine.
- It is easy to tell who is nervous by their voice.
+ 3 more examples
- You can tell the real note from the fake by its feel.
- I can't tell the difference between the two shades of blue.
- Only an expert can tell a ruby from a red glass stone.
Synonyms distinguish differentiate recognize identify
§Structures (grammar patterns) 5
tell + somebody + that-clause
Tell must have a person object before the that-clause; without one, use say.
'Tell' में that-clause से पहले व्यक्ति का object आवश्यक है; बिना object के 'say' आता है।
- The teacher told us that the test was postponed.
- Radhika told her mother that she had passed.
tell + somebody + to-infinitive
Use this for an order, instruction or request; the negative is tell somebody not to.
आदेश, निर्देश या अनुरोध के लिए यह रचना प्रयुक्त होती है; निषेध में 'tell somebody not to' आता है।
- The guard told the passengers to stand behind the line.
- He told me not to touch the wires.
tell + somebody + wh-clause / about + noun
Use a wh-word for information and about for the topic.
जानकारी के लिए wh-word और विषय के लिए 'about' का प्रयोग होता है।
- Please tell me where the library is.
- Tell us about your village.
tell a story / lie / the truth / the time
These fixed phrases use tell, not say: tell a joke, tell a lie, tell the truth, tell the time.
ये निश्चित phrases 'tell' के साथ बनते हैं, 'say' के साथ नहीं: tell a joke, tell a lie, tell the truth, tell the time.
- The little girl cannot tell the time yet.
can tell / tell the difference
Tell means to know or judge correctly, usually after can or could, and with between or from.
'Tell' का अर्थ सही पहचानना या अनुमान लगाना भी है; यह प्रायः can या could के साथ और between या from के साथ आता है।
- Can you tell the twins apart?
- I could tell from her face that she was upset.
+Collocations 4
tell + noun
a liethe trutha storya jokethe timea secret
- Tell the truth and you will have nothing to fear.
adverb + tell
clearlyfirmlygentlypolitelyhonestly
- I must tell you honestly that your answer is incomplete.
tell + noun phrase + apart / from
the twins apartreal from fakeright from wrongone coin from another
- Children learn to tell right from wrong.
phrasal verbs
tell offtell on somebodytell apart
- The warden told the boys off for being late.
“More examples 5
- Radhika told the examiner that she had left her admit card at home.
राधिका ने परीक्षक को बताया कि वह अपना प्रवेश-पत्र घर पर भूल आई है।
- Don't tell anyone what I have told you.
मैंने जो तुम्हें बताया है, वह किसी को मत बताना।
- My grandmother tells wonderful stories about the monsoon of her childhood.
मेरी दादी अपने बचपन की बरसात के बारे में अद्भुत कहानियाँ सुनाती हैं।
- It is hard to tell which of the two answers is correct.
यह बताना कठिन है कि दोनों में से कौन-सा उत्तर सही है।
- The clouds tell us that the rains will arrive soon.
बादल हमें संकेत देते हैं कि बारिश जल्द आएगी।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ She told that she would join the course.
✓ She said that she would join the course.
Tell needs a person object (told me that); without an object use said.
'Tell' के साथ व्यक्ति का object चाहिए ('told me that'); object न हो तो 'said' लिखें।
✗ He told to me to wait outside.
✓ He told me to wait outside.
Tell takes its object directly, with no to before it.
'Tell' का object सीधे आता है, उसके पहले 'to' नहीं लगता।
✗ The boy said a lie to his teacher.
✓ The boy told a lie to his teacher.
The fixed collocation is tell a lie.
निश्चित collocation 'tell a lie' है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
Say, tell, speak and talk all report words, but each takes a different pattern.
Say, tell, speak और talk चारों शब्द बोलने से जुड़े हैं, पर हर एक की रचना अलग है।
Passes information to a person, who must be named as the object.
किसी व्यक्ति को जानकारी देना, जिसका object के रूप में उल्लेख आवश्यक है।
- He told me the news.
Reports the words spoken; the listener is not the direct object.
बोले गए शब्दों को बताता है; श्रोता direct object नहीं होता।
- He said that he was tired.
Means to use the voice or a language, often formally.
आवाज़ या भाषा का प्रयोग करना, प्रायः औपचारिक रूप से।
- She speaks three languages.
¶Idioms 4
tell me about it
used to say that you understand what sb is talking about and have had the same experience (informal)
मुझसे पूछो! (मैं भी यह झेल चुका हूँ) (अनौपचारिक)
- "The traffic was terrible today." "Tell me about it!"
- "Exams are so stressful." "Tell me about it."
you're telling me
used to say that you completely agree with sb (informal)
बिल्कुल सही!; मुझे क्या बताते हो! (अनौपचारिक)
- "She's a difficult person." "You're telling me!"
- "It's freezing." "You're telling me!"
I told you (so)
used when sth bad has happened, to remind sb that you warned them about it
मैंने पहले ही कहा था
- I told you so, but you didn't listen.
- Don't say "I told you so".
you never can tell / you can never tell
used to say that you can never know what will happen in the future
कुछ कहा नहीं जा सकता; भविष्य का क्या पता
- You never can tell; you might win.
- It might rain later; you can never tell.
→Phrasal verbs 3
tell off
to speak angrily to somebody for doing something wrong
डाँटना, फटकारना
- The teacher told him off for coming late.
- I got told off for using my phone in class.
tell on sb
to have a bad effect on sb's health; to tell a person in authority about sth bad that sb has done
(सेहत पर) बुरा असर पड़ना; किसी की शिकायत करना
- The long hours are beginning to tell on her.
- Please don't tell on me to the teacher!
tell sb/sth apart
to be able to see the difference between two people or things that are very similar
(दो मिलती-जुलती चीज़ों या लोगों में) फ़र्क़ पहचानना, अंतर कर पाना
- The twins look so alike that even their teachers cannot tell them apart.
- Radhika can easily tell the two ragas apart after just a few notes.
≈Synonyms and antonyms
§Grammar and usage
Tell takes a personal object ('She told me', not 'She told to me'); say does not ('She said to me').
यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: tell व्यक्ति वाला object लेता है ('She told me', 'She told to me' नहीं); say नहीं ('She said to me')।
Fixed collocations with tell: tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, tell the time, tell the difference.
Tell के साथ निश्चित collocations: tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, tell the time, tell the difference।
Narration: 'He said to me, "Sit down"' becomes 'He told me to sit down.'
Narration में 'He said to me, "Sit down"' बनता है 'He told me to sit down.'।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Tell sb off (scold), tell on sb (inform about somebody's wrongdoing), all told (in total), time will tell.
Idioms: tell sb off (डाँटना), tell on sb (किसी की शिकायत करना), all told (कुल मिलाकर), time will tell।