告诉 (gàosu) — to tell; to inform
HSK 2 | verb | to communicate information to someone
告诉 (gàosu)
告诉 means to tell or to inform someone of something. The structure is: 告诉 + person + content. The person told is placed directly after 告诉, and the information comes after that person. It is a double-object verb.
Meanings
- [verb] To tell; to inform; to let someone know. Communicates a piece of information to a specific person.
Example Sentences
请告诉我你的名字。 Qǐng gàosu wǒ nǐ de míngzi. Please tell me your name.
他告诉我明天不上班。 Tā gàosu wǒ míngtiān bù shàngbān. He told me there is no work tomorrow.
别告诉他这件事。 Bié gàosu tā zhè jiàn shì. Don't tell him about this matter.
如果你知道答案，请告诉大家。 Rúguǒ nǐ zhīdào dá'àn, qǐng gàosu dàjiā. If you know the answer, please tell everyone.
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 告诉某人 (gàosu mǒu rén) | to tell someone |
| 别告诉 (bié gàosu) | don't tell |
| 请告诉我 (qǐng gàosu wǒ) | please tell me |
| 我告诉你 (wǒ gàosu nǐ) | let me tell you |
| 没有人告诉我 (méiyǒu rén gàosu wǒ) | nobody told me |
Memory Hook
告 contains an ox (牛) on top and a mouth (口) below — an ox bellowing to announce something. 诉 means to speak/express. Put them together: an announcement spoken aloud to someone. That is exactly what 告诉 does.