一说到动词 “tell”，很多学习者们最先想到的意思可能是 “告诉、讲述”。其实，虽然 “tell” 这个词语看起来简单，但它的用法却不只这一个。

用法总结

1 “Tell” 常用来表达 “告诉，对某人诉说某事”。

Let me tell you why.

2 “Tell” 还可以表达与 “know（知道）”、“recognise（辨别）”、“understand（理解、明白）” 或 “perceive（察觉、意识到）” 相似的含义。在表达这类意思时，“tell” 常与动词 “can” 搭配使用。用 “can tell” 表现在的情况，用 “could tell” 表过去的情况。 

I can tell he's from France. He has an accent.

We could tell it was going to rain because of the clouds.

3 我们可以用 “tell the difference” 来表达 “区分、分辨出不同之处”，这类表达常出现在疑问句和否定句当中。

Can you tell the difference between this cup and that cup?

I can't tell the difference between this cup and that cup!

4 我们可以用人称代词 “you” 加 “can tell” 的搭配来谈论一件 “按理说是显而易见的事”。

You can tell he's an English teacher. He knows all the answers.