Form your dominant hand into a '1' handshape with your index finger extended and your palm facing inward. Place the tip or side of your index finger just below your bottom lip. Move your hand inward in a single, smooth motion until the tip of your index finger taps your chest. This inward movement visually demonstrates the information coming directly to you.
Sign 'HAPPEN' followed by 'TELL-ME' and 'PLEASE'. Ensure your eyebrows are furrowed to show you are asking a 'what' question, directing the request to the other person.
Point to the person to indicate 'YOUR', sign 'NAME', and then use the 'TELL-ME' sign by bringing your index finger from your chin directly to your chest.
Sign 'STORY' and then 'TELL-ME'. Raise your eyebrows while signing to indicate that you are asking a yes/no question, keeping the motion fluid.
Sign 'HAPPEN' followed by 'TELL-ME' and 'PLEASE'. Ensure your eyebrows are furrowed to show you are asking a 'what' question, directing the request to the other person.
Point to the person to indicate 'YOUR', sign 'NAME', and then use the 'TELL-ME' sign by bringing your index finger from your chin directly to your chest.
Sign 'STORY' and then 'TELL-ME'. Raise your eyebrows while signing to indicate that you are asking a yes/no question, keeping the motion fluid.
No, you don't! Because 'tell' is a directional verb, moving the sign toward your chest automatically includes the concept of 'me'. Signing 'me' separately afterward would be redundant and unnatural in ASL.
To sign 'tell you', you use the exact same handshape and starting position at the chin. However, instead of moving the finger inward to your chest, you move it outward toward the person you are talking to.
Yes, it is standard for the tip of your index finger to lightly tap your chest at the end of the sign. This provides a clear, definitive endpoint to the movement, emphasizing that the information is directed at you.
