<p>In Cantonese, between common citizens, 我告你 means 我控告你 (I sue you)</p>
<p>Only between school kids, 我<strong>告</strong>你 means 我向老師<strong>告發</strong>你 = I'll <strong>report</strong> you to the teacher</p>
<p>More examples</p>
<p>小明<strong>告</strong>小強推他 = 小明向老師<strong>告發</strong>小強推他 = Xiao Ming <strong>reported</strong> to the teacher that Xiao Qiang pushed him</p>
<p>Notice: 告(report/ complain) only to the teachers, not anyone else including parents e.g. 小明向父親<strong>投訴</strong>小強推他 = Xiao Ming <strong>complained</strong> to his father that Xiao Qiang pushed him</p>
<p>Mandarin doesn't use 告 this way, 小明告發小強 cannot be reduced to 小明告小強</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-28T15:06:56.927Z
The same in Taiwan, kids there often say "我要告老師 - I am reporting (you) to the teacher".
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-28T15:24:43.757Z
"我要告老師 would mean "I am suing the teacher" in Hong Kong, As a school kid, you can only "告'(reporting/complaining) a fellow student
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-28T15:57:24.083Z
This is a pure kids' talk at a very young age, at which they haven't developed the concept of "lawsuit", and often spoken by boys, who usually have less "vocabulary" capability than the same age girls :) "我要**告**老師= 我要**告訴**老師" - I am reporting (you) to the teacher (a person of the highest authority at that time in their life)
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-28T12:22:39.217Z
2024-07-28T12:39:14.703Z
2024-07-28T12:39:14.703Z
Tang Ho
<p>that‘s really commonly used in the North-east of China，but the attitude of this sentence is not so peaceful。If somebody say that，maybe he's angry.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-29T14:56:50.343Z
2024-07-29T14:56:50.343Z
Tony
<p>Don't know anything about 粤语, except it sounds strange when I hear it on the news! Maybe &quot;我告你&quot; is acceptable in 粤语.</p>
<p>1 kid talking to a naughty kid: Use either 告诉 or 告状:</p>
<p>你太淘气了, 我去告诉你妈妈.</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>你太淘气了, 我会向你妈妈告状!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-28T07:49:57.733Z
2024-07-28T07:49:57.733Z
Pedroski
<p>(instead of the fuller word 告發)</p>
<p>I ask because in Cantonese, when I was in school, I heard it quite often - I don't speak it well (it was an English-language school so I was fine) but I'm quite sure that's how they phrased it.</p>
<p>But I don't see it in the dictionary.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-28T07:02:43.690Z
"I'm gonna tell on you" is kid talk for "I'm reporting you to a superior for your wrongdoings/misbehaviour". I have never heard "我告你" to mean "I'm gonna tell on you" in Mandarn - IMO it's used in very informal contexts (properly: "我告訴你") and literally means "I'm informing you" but in a warning tone ("I'm warning you").
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-28T14:59:14.870Z
Pretty sure "我要告你" is fairly common between MSM speaking kids.
Mou某
<mandarin><vocabulary><word>
In Mandarin can you say 我告你 to mean "I'm gonna tell on you"?
# In Mandarin can you say 我告你 to mean "I'm gonna tell on you"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-07-28)

(instead of the fuller word 告發)

I ask because in Cantonese, when I was in school, I heard it quite often - I don't speak it well (it was an English-language school so I was fine) but I'm quite sure that's how they phrased it.

But I don't see it in the dictionary.

**Tags:** mandarin, vocabulary, word

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "I'm gonna tell on you" is kid talk for "I'm reporting you to a superior for your wrongdoings/misbehaviour". I have never heard "我告你" to mean "I'm gonna tell on you" in Mandarn - IMO it's used in very informal contexts (properly: "我告訴你") and literally means "I'm informing you" but in a warning tone ("I'm warning you").  
> **username_2**: Pretty sure "我要告你" is fairly common between MSM speaking kids.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-07-28. Score: 1

In Cantonese, between common citizens, 我告你 means 我控告你 (I sue you)

Only between school kids, 我**告**你 means 我向老師**告發**你 = I'll **report** you to the teacher

More examples

小明**告**小強推他 = 小明向老師**告發**小強推他 = Xiao Ming **reported** to the teacher that Xiao Qiang pushed him

Notice: 告(report/ complain) only to the teachers, not anyone else including parents e.g. 小明向父親**投訴**小強推他 = Xiao Ming **complained** to his father that Xiao Qiang pushed him

Mandarin doesn't use 告 this way, 小明告發小強 cannot be reduced to 小明告小強

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: The same in Taiwan, kids there often say "我要告老師 - I am reporting (you) to the teacher".  
> **username_3**: "我要告老師 would mean "I am suing the teacher" in Hong Kong, As a school kid, you can only "告'(reporting/complaining) a fellow student  
> **username_4**: This is a pure kids' talk at a very young age, at which they haven't developed the concept of "lawsuit", and often spoken by boys, who usually have less "vocabulary" capability than the same age girls :) "我要**告**老師= 我要**告訴**老師" - I am reporting (you) to the teacher (a person of the highest authority at that time in their life)  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2024-07-29. Score: 0

that‘s really commonly used in the North-east of China，but the attitude of this sentence is not so peaceful。If somebody say that，maybe he's angry.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2024-07-28. Score: 0

Don't know anything about 粤语, except it sounds strange when I hear it on the news! Maybe "我告你" is acceptable in 粤语.

1 kid talking to a naughty kid: Use either 告诉 or 告状:

你太淘气了, 我去告诉你妈妈.

or

你太淘气了, 我会向你妈妈告状!


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