Question

They will not know the truth if you ... them. ● will not tell ● do not tell

Answer 1

They will not know the truth if you do not tell them.

Answer 2

To ensure a detailed response to your question, let's break it down.

The sentence you provided is: "They will not know the truth if you..." And you provided two options for the ending of the sentence: "will not tell" and "do not tell."

Based on the options you provided, it seems like you are asking how to complete the sentence to convey the idea that if you don't tell them, they will not know the truth. Both options you provided can be used to express this idea, but there are slight differences in meaning and usage.

1. "They will not know the truth if you will not tell them." In this option, we use the future tense "will not tell" to indicate that if you are not willing or do not intend to tell them the truth, they will remain unaware of it. This implies a certain level of intention or willingness on your part. However, in most cases, it is more common to use the present tense for this construction.

2. "They will not know the truth if you do not tell them." In this option, we use the present tense "do not tell" to indicate that if you currently do not tell them the truth, they will remain unaware of it. This construction implies a simple fact that if you don't communicate the truth to them, they will not be informed. It does not imply any specific intention or willingness.

In general, the second option "They will not know the truth if you do not tell them" is more commonly used and sounds more natural in most situations. However, the choice between these two options ultimately depends on the specific context and the intended meaning you want to convey.

Note: It is worth mentioning that the original sentence you provided is incomplete. It lacks the subject of the sentence. To make it a complete sentence, you could add a subject before "They," such as "People" or "Others," depending on the context.