@kungfumastershindo No, I want them to tell me the context because I’m teaching them Chinese. I don’t want to just say “I don’t know what you’re talking about”. Thank you anyway.

kungfumastershindo

27 January

English (US)

@branduhn you can then say "I don't quite know about the situation OR context of the situation."

Highly-rated answerer

ABC-learner

28 January

English (US)

"tell" somewhat implies that the object is a relatively precisely defined chunk of INFORMATION:
"Tell me the NAME of your favorite band."
"Tell me HOW to get from Chengdu to Shanghai."
"Tell me a STORY."

"tell ABOUT" or "describe" suggests that the object is (an object 😂), a person, place, or topic. It is more indirect and really only asks for some characteristics of, facts about, or views on the object:
"Tell me about your favorite band."
"Tell me about taking bullet trains from Chengdu to Shanghai."
"Tell me about computational linguistics."

Native speakers sometimes "misuse"/mix these in casual conversation:
We might say "Tell me your favorite band." (short for "Tell me which band is your favorite.")

The concept of "context" seems like it's in a "gray area" because it is a "thing" that consists of information. It's like "location".
Which is better,
"Tell me the location." ("the bar above the coffeehouse across from the train station")
or
"Tell me about the location." ("It has lots of cool artwork on the walls and great acoustics.")?
They both make sense.

Highly-rated answerer

ABC-learner

28 January

English (US)

Since you probably simply want to know the sentence or paragraph in which some word or phrase was used, I'd say
"Give me the context." or "What is the context?"

In case you're expecting to hear about the tone of voice, the situation, and/or the people involved, I might say
"Can you describe the context?"

Highly-rated answerer

brandun

28 January

Simplified Chinese (China)

@kungfumastershindo That’s good! Thanks.

brandun

28 January

Simplified Chinese (China)

@ABC-learner Awesome! Thanks a lot!

kungfumastershindo

28 January

English (US)

@branduhn your welcome

Highly-rated answerer

ABC-learner

30 January

English (US)

@branduhn
Oh! I just read your Chinese sentence and learned a word (上下文). That's such a cool word!

I'm guessing that it refers specifically to written/printed text (or could it refer to spoken words as well?)

If you only want to know the preceding and following sentence(s), then I would stick with simply "Give me the context." or "What is the context?"

Highly-rated answerer

brandun

30 January

Simplified Chinese (China)

@ABC-learner Thank you! Yeah, just to let you know, 上下文 can refer to written/printed/spoken text.

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Which sounds more natural?
1. I don’t know the context.
2. I don’t know about the context.

Which sounds more natural?1. I don’t know the context.2. I don’t know about the context. See a translation

@branduhn 2

@branduhn 2

all of them are good but 2 sounds more natural:)

I actually have to disagree with the other answer, I think 1 sounds better, 2 feels off to me, the US is a big place so it might be a regional thing.

@branduhn yeah those sound a lot better to me

Yes, 1 is more natural in both cases.When someone asks a strange question on this app, I often say "I need more context." or "What is the context of this sentence."

@branduhn you can then say "I don't quite know about the situation OR context of the situation."

@branduhn your welcome

Which sounds more natural?
1. I don’t know the context.
2. I don’t know about the context.

Yes, 1 is more natural in both cases.

When someone asks a strange question on this app, I often say "I need more context." or "What is the context of this sentence."