student asking question

What does "can't tell" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Here "can't tell" emphasises how true the statement "I wish I didn't want to stay" is. As if no words can truly express how true the statement is. The very literal meaning would be "not being able to tell someone something," but this isn't the use here. Here it's for emphasis. Ex: I can't tell you how much I love it here. Ex: Dan said he can't tell me how much he has wanted a surprise party. Ex: Jen can't tell me because it's a secret.

Popular Q&As

12/04

Complete the expression with a quiz!