told 是动词 tell 的过去式和过去分词，读音为 英 [təʊld]、美 [toʊld]，核心含义是“讲述、告知、表明”，既可以表示主动传递信息，也可用于描述事物间接传达的信号。其用法需注意“told sb. to do sth.”结构，即“告诉某人做某事”，不能直接接动词原形[4][8]。

短语搭配

tell the truth 说实话
例：It's important to tell the truth, even if it's difficult.（即使很难，说实话也很重要。）

tell a story 讲故事
例：She told a fascinating story about her adventures in the jungle.（她讲了一个丛林冒险的迷人故事。）

I told you so 我早就提醒过你（用于对方未听从建议而发生坏事时）
例："The project failed." "I told you so—you should have listened to me."（“项目失败了。”“我早就提醒过你，你早该听我的。”）

all told 总计、总共
例：All told, there were 50 people at the party.（派对上总共有50人。）

as told by 正如……所述（用于引用他人观点或信息）
例：The story, as told by her grandmother, has been passed down for generations.（这个故事正如她祖母所述，已流传了几代人。）

例句

She told me about her exciting trip to Paris.（她告诉我她在巴黎的精彩旅行。）

The teacher told the students to be quiet during the exam.（老师告诉学生考试时要保持安静。）

"I told you not to touch that!" he shouted angrily.（“我告诉过你别碰那个！”他生气地喊道。）

We had booked a table, but when we arrived, we were told there were no seats left.（我们订了桌，但到达时却被告知没有空位了。）

He told a lie to avoid getting into trouble.（他撒谎是为了避免惹麻烦。）

All told, the project took three months to complete.（总计，这个项目花了三个月完成。）

"If you had listened, this wouldn't have happened," she told him bitterly.（“如果你当初听了，就不会发生这种事。”她痛苦地告诉他。）

The sign told us that the road was closed ahead.（指示牌告诉我们前方道路封闭。）

I've told you again and again not to leave your shoes here.（我一再告诉你不要把鞋子放在这里。）

As told by the witness, the accident happened at 3 p.m.（正如目击者所述，事故发生在下午3点。）

用法提示

时态区分：“I told you”仅表示过去告知的动作，而“I have told you”强调“已告知过”，常含不耐烦语气（如重复提醒时）。

被动结构：“be told”表示“被告知”，如“Only to be told there were no seats available”（结果被告知无空位）。

避免误区：不可说“told sb. do sth.”，需加不定式符号“to”，即“told sb. to do sth.”。

从日常对话中的简单提醒到文学作品中的叙事场景，told 都是传递信息、表达情感的基础词汇。下次使用时，不妨留意它在主动/被动语境中的细微差别，让表达更精准。