[Grammar] You could tell

[Ferdie11]

Hi,

What does "You could tell" mean in the sentence below?

You could tell, he was having the time of his life.

Many thanks.

 

[bertietheblue]

'It was clear [from his behaviour] that ...' / 'He was clearly showing that ...'

 

[sarat_106]

Hi,

What does "You could tell" mean in the sentence below?

You could tell, he was having the time of his life.

Many thanks.

This was a suggestion or piece of advice to someone to express his openion about somebody.

 

[bertietheblue]

This was a suggestion or piece of advice to someone to express his openion about somebody.

There is no suggestion/piece of advice in the sentence, simply an opinion

 

[Raymott]

This was a suggestion or piece of advice to someone to express his openion about somebody.

'Tell' doesn't mean 'say' here.
"You can tell" is a very common idiom meaning, "you can see/perceive/notice ...."
"You can tell he is a wearing a toupee."
"You could tell he didn't know much English."
"I think you'd be able to tell if I didn't have a bath for a week."