Both speak and talk refer to using your mouth to communicate.
First, let’s look at the correct prepositions:
You talk/ speak ABOUT something.
My boyfriend talks about football all day.
In formal situations, you can use speak OF something.
My grandfather would often speak of the war. The stories were fascinating.
You talk/speak TO someone.
I spoke to the bank manager earlier and he’s agreed to give me another credit card.
In formal situations, you can use speak WITH someone.
It’s best if I speak with my business partners before making a decision.
Speak is used more for formal situations:
- At work: Today management will speak to us about the upcoming changes.
- At school: The school director is going to speak to the students regarding their university choices.
- At Buckingham Palace: While the Queen is speaking, everyone must remain silent.
- In an exam: The IELTS focuses on the 4 main skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
Talk is used more for informal situations:
At work: Hey Dave, I need to talk to you later about tomorrow’s pub quiz.
At school: I can’t believe Julie stopped talking to me! I don’t know why she’s angry at me.
Parent to child: Sally, you know you can talk to me about anything right? Mummy will never judge you.
At your Christmas dinner: Oh man, Uncle Bob never stops talking.
We use speak for languages, not talk:
How many languages can you speak?
I really want to speak English perfectly.
If you could speak any language in the world, what would it be?
NOT: I can talk two languages.
We use speak when we are on the telephone:
A: Good morning, this is John speaking, how can I help you?
B: Good morning, can I please speak to Mr. Winters?
A: May I ask who is speaking?
B: Yes, this is Mary Binnert. I’m calling about my bank account.
A: Thank you, please hold…
Talk can also be a noun. It can mean:
a serious conversation between two or more people (to have a talk)
I had a little talk with my son this morning about his spending habits.
a presentation (to give a talk on/about)
We have a very special guest today who is going to give us a talk on/about her experiences working at Google.
Speech is the noun form of ‘speak’. It can mean:
how someone speaks
My daughter’s speech wasn’t as developed as it should have been when she was 3.
a formal presentation (to give a speech)
My brother gave a beautiful speech at my wedding.
