What does it mean word for word?
The form 告诉我 consists of 告诉 (gàosu), which means 'to tell' or 'to inform' and 我 (wǒ), which means 'me' or 'I'.
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context and the level of closeness, you may use different variations. 告诉我一声 and 告诉我一下 are informal ways to ask for a quick heads-up or to say 'let me know'. In contrast, 请告诉我 is a formal version of the phrase. For a more specific request to be informed about a particular matter, you can use 请通知我.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you are speaking informally, you can use 告诉我一声 or 告诉我一下. For more formal settings, use 请告诉我. In formal business writing, it is common to replace the standard form with 请告知 (qǐng gàozhī) to mean 'please inform' or 'please notify'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese (Hong Kong), you can use 通知我一聲 to say 'let me know'. In Taiwanese Mandarin, both 請告訴我 and 告訴我一下 are common ways to express this.
How does it change in a sentence?
While 告诉我 is the standard way to say 'tell me', you might also encounter 跟我说 (gēn wǒ shuō), which is a common alternative meaning 'speak to me' or 'tell me'.
How do you pronounce it?
gàosu wǒ
Did you know?
- The character 告 in 告诉我 originally depicted a drum being beaten to announce a public decree. This historical root remains in the word's connection to official notifications and informing others.
- In the informal phrase 告诉我一声, the word 声 (shēng) literally means 'a sound' or 'a voice', making the phrase sound like you are asking for 'a sound of telling'.
- When using the informal 告诉我一下, the word 一下 (yīxià) functions as a 'verbal softener' that suggests the action of telling will only take a moment, making the request feel less demanding.
Examples in context
- 告诉我考试结果。Let me know about the result of the exam.This sentence shows how to use 告诉我 to request information about an exam result.Tatoeba #398890 by GlossaMatik, translation #263465 by CK
- 如果你有任何问题请告诉我If you have any questions, let me know.This sentence uses 告诉我 to offer help if someone has questions.Tatoeba #13132700 by jenny123, translation #3142826 by CK
- 你如果需要帮助，就告诉我。If you should need any help, just let me know.This sentence uses 告诉我 to express availability if someone needs help.Tatoeba #5613666 by verdastelo9604, translation #30607 by AlanF_US
- 请告诉我你的决定。Please let me know your decision.
- 请通知我会议的时间和地点。Please let me know the time and location of the meeting.
- 有什么消息就告诉我一声。Let me know if there is any news.
- 如果你要去，记得告诉我一下。If you're going, remember to let me know.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a meeting schedule.
- 雨婷 Yuting会议的具体时间定了吗？Huìyì de jùtǐ shíjiān dìng le ma?Has the specific time for the meeting been set?
- 浩然 Haoran还没，定好后我会告诉你。Hái méi, dìng hǎo hòu wǒ huì gàosù nǐ.Not yet, I will let you know once it is set.
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，请随时告诉我。Hǎo de, qǐng suíshí gàosù wǒ.Okay, please let me know anytime.
- 浩然 Haoran没问题，雨婷。Méi wèntí, Yǔtíng.No problem, Yuting.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
