to tell is a form of:

Tell



verbpast tense: Told ; past participle: Told ; present participle: Telling ; 3rd person singular present Tells
1.
(INTRANSITIVE) (To produce marked effect; to report. -tell off to rebuke severely, scold. -tell on to tattle on [someone]) One's training tells (in later life) បង្ហាញអោយឃើញ
Example: I will tell you a story, The speedometer on the car tells how fast you are going, Father told the man to leave.(Every stroke) tells ស័ក្ដិសិទ្ធិ
2.
(TRANSITIVE) ~ something (to somebody) (to let know, to request; to relate, to utter, to reveal, to make known, to recognize, to order, to command, to be effective, to have a result, to count off, to reveal a secret, to act as telltale to tattle) tell him I'm here ប្រាប់ tell a story និយាយប្រាប់ (និទាន), tell him to wait ប្រាប់, បញ្ជាប្រាប់ can't tell what's wrong ដឹង, can tell time ចេះមើលម៉ោង, (Don't) tell on (me) ពិតទូល, (Troubles) tell on (his work) បង្ហាញអោយឃើញ (ក្នុង)
ENGLISH MEANING
noun
1.
That which is told; tale; account.
2.
A hill or mound.
verbpast tense: Told ; past participle: Told ; present participle: Telling ; 3rd person singular present Tells
1.
(TRANSITIVE) To mention one by one, or piece by piece; to recount; to enumerate; to reckon; to number; to count; as, to tell money.
2.
(TRANSITIVE) To utter or recite in detail; to give an account of; to narrate.
3.
(TRANSITIVE) To make known; to publish; to disclose; to divulge.
4.
(TRANSITIVE) To give instruction to; to make report to; to acquaint; to teach; to inform.
5.
(TRANSITIVE) To order; to request; to command.
6.
(TRANSITIVE) To discern so as to report; to ascertain by observing; to find out; to discover; as, I can not tell where one color ends and the other begins.
7.
(TRANSITIVE) To make account of; to regard; to reckon; to value; to estimate.
8.
(INTRANSITIVE) To give an account; to make report.
9.
(INTRANSITIVE) To take effect; to produce a marked effect; as, every shot tells; every expression tells.
1.
acquaint, announce, betray, communicate, confess, describe, direct, disclose, divulge, express, inform instruct, mention, narrate, notify, order, publish, recount, relate, report request, speak, state, utter, discern, discover, distinguish