you-can-tell
Chunk: you can tell
Meaning & Usage
You can tell is a very common conversational phrase meaning that something is easy to notice, observe, or realize based on the evidence. It uses "tell" in the sense of distinguishing or reading a situation.
🧲 Common Collocates
- Common Structures: you can tell that..., you can just tell, how can you tell?
- Past Tense: you could tell that (he was angry).
💬 Contextual Examples
- She tried to hide it, but you could tell she was crying earlier.
- This purse is a cheap knock-off; you can tell by the stitching.
- "He really hates his job." / "Yeah, you can tell."
🎴 Interactive Web Practice
Practice 1: You can ______ that he hasn't slept in days just by looking at him.
Answer:
tell Practice 2: I knew she was lying. You ______ just tell from her body language.
Answer:
could Practice 3: How can you ______ the difference between the two models?
Answer:
tell 🔗 Knowledge Base Connections
- 🔑 Parent Keyword: tell
- ⚖️ Synonym Chunk: it-is-obvious