When do I use 讲 vs 告诉?

Use 讲 when you are speaking about a topic, narrating, or explaining—it focuses on the content. Use 告诉 when you are informing a specific person of something—it requires both the person and the information. For example, '讲一个故事' (tell a story) vs '告诉他一个秘密' (tell him a secret).

Can 讲 be used to mean 'tell someone'?

Yes, but usually in the pattern 讲 + 给 + person, e.g., 我给你讲个故事. Without 给, 讲 cannot take a person as a direct object. In contrast, 告诉 directly takes the person.

Is it always wrong to say 告诉 without a person?

In formal usage, yes, you must specify the recipient. In very casual speech, if the context is clear, the person might be omitted, but it is still understood. For example, '我已经告诉了' (I already told [someone]) might be acceptable in conversation but is not grammatically complete.

Can 讲 and 告诉 ever be used interchangeably?

Rarely. They only overlap in structures like 讲给某人听 and 告诉某人, both meaning 'tell someone something'. But 讲 emphasizes the act of narrating, while 告诉 emphasizes informing. In most cases, they are not interchangeable.

Easily confusedHSK 3

讲 vs 告诉 (jiǎng vs gàosu): which “tell” to use

讲 (jiǎng) means to speak, narrate, or explain, focusing on the content or manner of speaking without requiring a specific listener. 告诉 (gàosu) means to tell or inform someone, emphasizing the recipient of the information. Use 讲 when you talk about a topic or story, and 告诉 when you directly convey information to a person.

讲 and 告诉 are both verbs related to conveying information, but they differ in structure and focus. 讲 is used for speaking, narrating, or explaining content (e.g., stories, lectures, topics) and does not require a recipient—you can simply 讲 a story. 告诉, on the other hand, specifically means to inform a person of something, so it always needs a recipient (the person told) and the information. A common mistake is using 讲 when a recipient is mentioned, or using 告诉 without a recipient. Understanding this distinction is key to sounding natural.

When to use each

讲jiǎng

to speak/tell

Use 讲 when you are speaking about a topic, giving a lecture, telling a story, or explaining something. It focuses on the content or the action of speaking, and it may or may not have a direct listener. 讲 can take a direct object that is the content (e.g., 故事, 话, 课). It is common in both formal and casual settings.

讲 can also mean 'to discuss' or 'to stress' in some contexts. When you want to indicate the listener, you often use the structure 讲 + 给 + person, e.g., 给我讲个故事.

告诉gàosu

to tell (inform)

Use 告诉 when you are informing someone of specific information. The verb always requires an indirect object (the person being told) and a direct object (the information). The typical structure is '告诉 + person + information'. 告诉 is neutral in register and is used for reporting facts, news, secrets, etc. It cannot be used for abstract narration without a recipient.

告诉 cannot be followed directly by a clause without the person; you must always state who is told. In informal speech, the person can be omitted if clear from context, but the verb still implies a recipient.

At a glance

	讲	告诉
Core meaning	Speak, narrate, explain	Inform, tell someone something
Required elements	Content only (recipient optional)	Recipient (person) + content (both required)
Object type	Topic, story, lesson, words	First: person (indirect), then: information (direct)
Common pattern	讲 + content	告诉 + person + content
Can it mean 'tell a story'?	Yes, directly	No, need 讲 or 说 for 'tell a story'
Negation example	不讲故事 (bù jiǎng gùshì)	不告诉他 (bù gàosu tā)

Examples

讲
他讲了一个有趣的故事。
Tā jiǎng le yī gè yǒuqù de gùshì.
He told an interesting story.
讲 is correct because it focuses on narrating the story, not on informing a specific person.
讲
请讲慢一点。
Qǐng jiǎng màn yī diǎn.
Please speak a little slower.
Here 讲 means 'speak' in general; no recipient is needed.
告诉
我告诉了他这个消息。
Wǒ gàosu le tā zhège xiāoxi.
I told him this news.
告诉 requires the person (他) and the information (这个消息).
告诉
妈妈告诉我要早点回家。
Māma gàosu wǒ yào zǎo diǎn huí jiā.
Mom told me to come home early.
告诉 is used to convey a command or information to a specific person.
讲
他给我讲了一个秘密。
Tā gěi wǒ jiǎng le yī gè mìmì.
He told me a secret.
讲 can be used with 给 to indicate the listener, but 告诉 would also be natural here: 他告诉我一个秘密. Both are acceptable.
讲
老师讲了昨天的课文。
Lǎoshī jiǎng le zuótiān de kèwén.
The teacher explained yesterday's lesson.
讲 is used for explaining content; no specific recipient is needed.

Common mistakes

Using 讲 when there is a specific recipient and the action is 'informing' — use 告诉 instead. Incorrect: 我讲他一个秘密 → Correct: 我告诉他一个秘密.
Using 告诉 for narrating a story without a recipient — use 讲. Incorrect: 他告诉了一个有趣的故事 → Correct: 他讲了一个有趣的故事.
Omitting the person after 告诉: 告诉了消息 is incomplete; you must specify who was told.
Confusing word order: 告诉 must come before the recipient, not after. Incorrect: 我消息告诉他 → Correct: 我告诉他消息.
Using 讲 directly with a person object (without 给) to mean 'tell someone something' is ungrammatical in most contexts. Incorrect: 我讲他一个故事 → Correct: 我给他讲一个故事 or 我告诉他一个故事.

FAQ

When do I use 讲 vs 告诉?: Use 讲 when you are speaking about a topic, narrating, or explaining—it focuses on the content. Use 告诉 when you are informing a specific person of something—it requires both the person and the information. For example, '讲一个故事' (tell a story) vs '告诉他一个秘密' (tell him a secret).
Can 讲 be used to mean 'tell someone'?: Yes, but usually in the pattern 讲 + 给 + person, e.g., 我给你讲个故事. Without 给, 讲 cannot take a person as a direct object. In contrast, 告诉 directly takes the person.
Is it always wrong to say 告诉 without a person?: In formal usage, yes, you must specify the recipient. In very casual speech, if the context is clear, the person might be omitted, but it is still understood. For example, '我已经告诉了' (I already told [someone]) might be acceptable in conversation but is not grammatically complete.
Can 讲 and 告诉 ever be used interchangeably?: Rarely. They only overlap in structures like 讲给某人听 and 告诉某人, both meaning 'tell someone something'. But 讲 emphasizes the act of narrating, while 告诉 emphasizes informing. In most cases, they are not interchangeable.