tells in the Oxford Spanish Dictionary

Translations for tells in the English»Spanish Dictionary

I.tell <pt & pp told> [Am tɛl, Brit tɛl] VB trans

1. tell (inform, reveal):

tell

decir

to tell sb the truth/a lie

decirle la verdad/una mentira a alguien

as I was telling you

como te estaba or iba diciendo

I don't know how to tell you this but …

no sé cómo decírtelo, pero …

don't tell me, let me guess

no me lo digas, a ver si adivino

I've been told that …

me han dicho que …

he was told that …

le dijeron que …

could you tell me the way to the station?

¿me podría decir or indicar cómo se llega a la estación?

I'll tell him you are here

le diré que ha llegado

I'll tell him what happened

le diré or contaré qué pasó

tell me when you've finished

dime or avísame cuando hayas terminado

I am pleased to be able to tell you that … (in letters)

me complace comunicarle or informarle que …

it's not easy, let me tell you

no es fácil, te lo aseguro or garantizo

I tell you what: why don't we write to her? inf

se me ocurre una idea: ¿por qué no le escribimos?

you're telling me! inf

¡me lo vas a decir a mí!

she won't be told

no le hace caso a nadie

she won't be told

no hay quien la haga entrar en razón

I told you so!

¿no te lo dije?

I can't tell you how relieved I am!

¡no te imaginas el alivio que siento!

2. tell (recount, relate):

tell joke/tale

contar

tell me a story

cuéntame un cuento

he tells it like it is inf

cuenta or dice las cosas como son

the poem tells how …

el poema cuenta cómo …

the poem tells how …

el poema narra cómo … form

the poem tells how …

el poema relata cómo … form

to tell sb about sb/sth she's told me all about you

me ha hablado mucho de ti

tell us about Lima

cuéntanos cómo es Lima (or qué tal te fue en Lima etc.)

have you told him about us?

¿le has contado lo nuestro?

3. tell (instruct, warn):

tell

decir

do as or what you're told

haz lo que se te dice

I won't tell you again

no te lo voy a volver a repetir

no-one told me what to do

nadie me dijo qué or lo que tenía que hacer

to tell sb to + infin

decirle a alguien que  +  subj

tell them to come in

diles que pasen

she told me to be quiet

me dijo que me callara

I told you not to do that!

¡te dije que no hicieras eso!

4.1. tell (ascertain, know):

it's difficult to tell her age

es difícil calcularle la edad

I can't tell the exact width

no sabría decir qué ancho tiene exactamente

I could tell from her voice that she was upset

por la voz me di cuenta de que estaba disgustada

I can't tell the difference

yo no veo or no noto ninguna diferencia

you can tell by their clothes that they're French

por la ropa se nota que son franceses

there's no telling what might happen

no se sabe lo que podría ocurrir

to be able to tell the time

saber decir la hora

4.2. tell (distinguish):

tell

distinguir

to tell sth/sb from sth/sb

distinguir algo/a alguien de algo/alguien

it's hard to tell one twin from the other

es difícil distinguir a un mellizo del otro

you can always tell a Rubens

un Rubens es fácil de reconocer

to tell right from wrong

discriminar entre lo que está bien y lo que está mal

5. tell (count):

to tell one's beads

rezar el rosario

all told

en total

II.tell <pt & pp told> [Am tɛl, Brit tɛl] VB intr

1.1. tell (reveal):

only he knows the answer and he's not telling

solo él sabe la respuesta, pero no se la va a decir a nadie

ah, that would be telling

ah, eso es un secreto

promise you won't tell?

¿prometes que no se lo vas a contar or decir a nadie?

to tell on sb (to sb) inf he told on us to the teacher

le fue con el chisme or cuento al profesor inf

to tell on sb (to sb) inf he told on us to the teacher

se chivó al profesor Spain inf

to tell on sb (to sb) inf he told on us to the teacher

le fue a alcahuetear al profesor CSur inf

don't tell on us!

¡no nos descubras!

1.2. tell (relate) liter:

more than words can tell

más de lo que pueden expresar las palabras

to tell of sth

hablar de algo

it tells of great suffering

habla de grandes sufrimientos

2. tell (know, work out):

tell

saber

who can tell!

¡quién sabe!

you never can tell

nunca se sabe

3. tell (count, have an effect):

breeding tells

la buena educación siempre se nota

he made every punch tell

hizo contar cada golpe

his influence told

su influencia fue decisiva

her age is beginning to tell

se le está empezando a notar la edad

to tell against sb/sth

obrar en contra de alguien/algo

to tell on sb/sth the strain is beginning to tell on him

la tensión lo está empezando a afectar

tell apart VB [Am tɛl -, Brit tɛl -] (v + o + adv)

tell apart

distinguir

can you tell them apart?

¿los puedes distinguir (el uno del otro)?

can you tell them apart?

¿sabes decir cuál es cuál?

tell off VB [Am tɛl -, Brit tɛl -] (v + o + adv, v + adv + o)

1. tell off (scold):

tell off

regañar

tell off

reñir esp Spain

tell off

retar CSur

tell off

resondrar Peru

tell off

rezongar AmC Urug

2. tell off MIL:

to tell sb off for sth/to + infin

destacar a alguien para algo/ +infin

kiss-and-tell [Am ˌkɪsənˈtɛl, Brit ˌkɪs(ə)nˈtɛl] ADJ

kiss-and-tell book/story:

kiss-and-tell

en que el autor revela su vida íntima con una celebridad

show-and-tell [Am ˈˌʃoʊ ən ˈtɛl, Brit] N U Am

show-and-tell

actividad escolar que consiste en llevar objetos a la escuela y hablar acerca de ellos

Translations for tells in the Spanish»English Dictionary

Your search term in other parts of the dictionary

mi cachativa me dice que algo anda mal

my instinct tells me there's something wrong

camelear

to tell lies

camelear

to tell fibs inf

chilear

to tell jokes

moraleja: nunca creas lo que te dice

the moral of the story is: never believe anything he tells you

abroncar

to tell off

tells in the PONS Dictionary

Translations for tells in the English»Spanish Dictionary

I.tell [tel] told, told told, told VB trans

1. tell (say):

tell

decir

to tell sb of sth

comunicar algo a alguien

to tell sb whether ...

informar a alguien de si...

I told you so

te avisé

2. tell (narrate):

tell

contar

tell me another (one) inf

cuéntame otra

3. tell (command):

tell

mandar

to tell sb to do sth

ordenar a alguien hacer algo

do as you're told inf

haz lo que te mandan

4. tell (make out):

tell

reconocer

5. tell (distinguish):

tell

distinguir

to tell sth from sth

distinguir algo de algo

6. tell (know):

tell

saber

there is no telling

no hay manera de saberlo

7. tell:

tell (count)

contar

tell (add up)

sumar

all told

en total

Phrases:

to tell it like it is inf

decir las cosas claras

that would be telling

eso podría ser cierto

you're telling me! inf

¡a mí me lo vas a contar!

II.tell [tel] told, told told, told VB intr

1. tell:

tell

hablar

to tell of sth/sb

hablar de algo/alguien

2. tell (know):

tell

saber

you never can tell

nunca se sabe

how can I tell?

¡yo qué se!

who can tell?

¿quién sabe?

3. tell (have an effect):

tell

tener efecto

tell on VB trans

to tell on sb

chivarse de alguien

tell apart VB trans

tell apart

distinguir

tell against VB trans Brit

to tell against sb/sth

obrar en contra de alguien/algo

tell off VB trans

tell off

regañar

to tell sb off for sth

reñir a alguien por algo

Translations for tells in the Spanish»English Dictionary

Your search term in other parts of the dictionary

narrar

to tell

distinguir (uno de otro) trans

to tell apart

relatar (una historia)

to tell

chivato (-a) (en la escuela)

tell-tale

jabonar

to tell off

tells Examples from the PONS Dictionary (editorially verified)

he'd die before he'd tell the truth

preferiría morir a decir la verdad

to tell it like it is inf

decir las cosas claras

if somebody comes, tell him that ...

si viene alguien, dile que...

why didn't you tell me about that?

¿por qué no me dijiste nada sobre eso?

if I tell you, you'll go and tell everyone

si te lo digo, lo largarás a todos

tell them to get a move on

diles que vayan aviando

to tell sb to go to hell

mandar a alguien a la mierda

to take sb aside to tell him/her sth

apartar a alguien para decirle algo

to tell sb a few home truths

cantar a alguien el salmo fig

to tell sb to go to hell

mandar a alguien a hacer puñetas

Monolingual examples (not verified by PONS Editors)

English

It titillates, it petrifies, but most importantly, it tells you a story which is daunting, imaginative and unconventional.

en.wikipedia.org

He tells her the story of how he ended up on death row, revealed to the movie audience through a series of lengthy flashbacks.

en.wikipedia.org

The boy tells the king of the two dragons.

en.wikipedia.org

It tells you pretty powerfully what is going to happen in the next few months; future purchasing manager intentions.

www.smh.com.au

Tony tells him to stop and reaffirms his decision, saying that he needs toughening up.

en.wikipedia.org

A third story, one he often tells international journalists, involves his leg being chomped off by a kangaroo.

en.wikipedia.org

He is stupefied when she declares him a liar and a cheat, and tells him that she has already given him both the mantle and her bracelet.

en.wikipedia.org

She tells him he looks terrible and has had no sleep and if he doesn't take care of himself, he'll need a hospital bed.

en.wikipedia.org

Grandpa tells him that he convinced his friends to return to the reservation.

en.wikipedia.org

The coupon rate simply tells the investor the amount of interest he or she will get over the life of the bond.

www.investinganswers.com