tell

Naija

Alternative forms

• warn 0.71 447, advise 0.69 398, remind 0.67 107, ask 0.65 2236, yarn 0.61 330, beg 0.61 753, remember 0.61 893, talk 0.61 13696, surprise 0.60 436

Etymology

Borrowed from English tell

Pronunciation

• tɛl

Play Play

Frequency

• Frequency in NSC treebank: 405
• Frequency rank in NSC treebank: 47
• Frequency in raw corpus: 8538
• Frequency rank in raw corpus: 45

The word is used more in written texts than orally.

Verb

tell: no definition -- Definition in Naija?

1. nsubj-obj (frequency:493)

   E tell am…  — (JOS_18_Xtian-Preach_M__51, He told it...)

   E tell am.  — (IBA_31_Lens-Sermon_MG__61, He told him.)

2. obj (frequency:413)

   Tell us.  — (jw__42306, __no translation__)

   Tell you.  — (JOS_03_Red-Hair-Facebook_DG__118, I tell you.)

3. ccomp-obj (frequency:166)

   Tell me sey meh...  — (ABJ_GWA_12_Accident_MG__139, He said I should...)

   Tell am sey e dey leak.  — (BEN_36_Clever-Girl_MG__71, Tell him that it's leaking.)

4. mark-obj (frequency:161)

   To tell people  — (jw__37821, __no translation__)

   We no go stop to tell people  — (jw__40194, __no translation__)

5. - (frequency:82)

   I no wan tell.  — (KAD_24_Biography_M__134, I dont want to tell...)

   Why I no go go tell?  — (KAD_17_Turkeys_MG__106, Why won't I report it?)

6. aux-obj (frequency:73)

   Who go tell am?  — (deuber__6708, __no translation__)

   Na who go tell am?  — (deuber__6706, __no translation__)

7. cc-obj (frequency:42)

   or tell di woman.  — (deuber__1433, __no translation__)

   Den Comfort now so fun mi, and tell me.  — (NST_cleaned__20230, __no translation__)

8. dep-obj (frequency:33)

   No, no tell me sorry.  — (IBA_22_School-Children_DG__118, Don't tell me sorry.)

   We want go tell dem sey  — (jw__40393, __no translation__)

9. nsubj (frequency:16)

   Im tell...  — (NST_cleaned__35449, __no translation__)

   Who she tell,  — (LAG_30_Rambling-Conversation_DG__94, Who did she tell ?)

10. advcl-obj (frequency:14)

    So dat time I no w~, I no sabi tell di Pidgin as e be.  — (NST_cleaned__14915, __no translation__)

    Tell us so that we go fit answer the people wey send us come.  — (jw__6697, __no translation__)

11. ccomp (frequency:12)

    Me dey call you, you tell me sey you come meet me for…  — (ENU_35_To-Become-A-Man_M__47, I was calling you, you were telling me that you will come and meet me in ...)

    Say no, you, let me tell you, dat penalty does not worth it.  — (IBA_35_Christopher-And-David_DG__40, He said no ! You, let me tell you that penalty, was not worth it.)

12. aux-nsubj (frequency:12)

    I don tell,  — (IBA_07_Na-Love_DG__71, I've told...)

    Na im I dey tell… ,  — (ENU_31_Imo-State-Politics_DG__162, That's what I am telling...)

13. conj-obj (frequency:9)

    Tell your neighbor wetin happen, and tell am sey you go pay.  — (jw__34269, __no translation__)

    Tell your papa wetin happen but sey na another person fault.  — (jw__34270, __no translation__)

14. mark (frequency:4)

    You wey you get friend dere, de dey, im suppose to dey tell you, you go dey tell me now.  — (JOS_29_He-Loves-French_DG__224, You that have a friend there, they are... he is supposed to tell you, you will be telling me now.)

    For example, wetin we go do if the person wey we dey work for tell us mek we work pass the time wey we suppose close, sotey we come dey miss meeting?  — (jw__45020, __no translation__)

15. obl:arg (frequency:4)

    If you high me, ehen I go know wetin I go tell you about di girl.  — (ONI_14_Girlfriends_DG__97, If you got me drunk, ehen, I will know what I will tell you about the girl.)

    Im don bring book w~, make e dey lecture us, e don tell us, e don dey tell us about snake bite,  — (IBA_11_Student-Wahala_DG__16, He has brought a book, he was ready to lecture us. He has told us, he has been telling us about snake bite.)

16. aux (frequency:2)

    But one thing wey carry dem dere, na only God go tell.  — (NST_cleaned__21164, __no translation__)

    Na im make us dey tell, make us dey tell young girl sey make de zip up.  — (BEN_07_Child-Spacing_DG__45, That is what make us tell, make us tell young girls that they should zip up.)

17. dep (frequency:2)

    Can God tell, tell some...?  — (ENU_34_Malaysia-Guy_MG__68, Can God tell some...?)

    She go greet me well, tell me sey…  — (KAD_24_Biography_M__151, She will greet me well tell that me that...)

Synonyms

• warn 0.71 447, advise 0.69 398, remind 0.67 107, ask 0.65 2236, yarn 0.61 330, beg 0.61 753, remember 0.61 893, talk 0.61 13696, surprise 0.60 436

Antonyms

• warn 0.71 447, advise 0.69 398, remind 0.67 107, ask 0.65 2236, yarn 0.61 330, beg 0.61 753, remember 0.61 893, talk 0.61 13696, surprise 0.60 436

Translations

• English: no definition