How to translate “to tell” depends on the mea - Cchatty

How to translate “to tell” depends on the meaning of “tell”: shuō 说 vs. jiǎng 讲 vs. jiào 叫 vs. gàosu 告诉 vs. ràng 让.

To “tell,” in the sense of to “say” something to someone, use shuō 说：

She told me she loved me.
Tā duì wǒ shuō tā ài wǒ.
她对我说她爱我。

To “tell” (a story), use jiǎng 讲：

She told a strange story.
Tā jiǎng le yíge hěn qíguàide gùshi.
她讲了一个很奇怪的故事。

To “tell” (someone to do something), use jiào 叫:

She told me to call her.
Tā jiào wǒ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà.
她叫我给她打电话。

To “tell”/“inform” (someone about something), use gàosu 告诉：

My Mom told me my dog died:
Wǒ māma gàosu wǒ wǒde gǒu sǐle.
我妈妈告诉我我的狗死了。

To “tell”/“have”/”make” (someone do something), use ràng 让：

My Mom told me/made me/had me study.
Wǒ māma ràng wǒ niànshū.
我妈妈让我念书。