Confusing English Words Challenge 7
Algunas palabras en inglés pueden ser (sea) confusas para los principiantes. Some words in English can be confusing for learners.
This one is to practice the verbs "Talk" and "Speak" - "Say" and "Tell"
Both native Spanish and English speakers may answer - but write both Spanish and English sentences.
I would appreciate some help in checking the Spanish sentences.
I will "accept" the best effort after about a week
Every attempt will get a vote.
Try to show why and when you use 'Talk' and 'Speak' "Say" and "Tell"
NOTE - we need sentences in both Languages that illustrate how the the following are used.
a) Talk
b) Speak
c) Say
d) Tell
Futher explanation as to the different meanings may be given
Please do not suggest new word pairs.
Update
Please have a look at my attempt at explaining these words below. Corregid mi español por favor
8 Answers
| 1 | There is a student in class who talks way too much. | Hay un estudiante en la clase que habla demasiado. |
| 2 | I speak one language fluently, English. | Hablo un idioma fluentemente, inglés. |
| 3 | Usually, “hola, adiós, y cóma está” are some of the first words we learn to say in Spanish. | Por lo general, "hola, adiós, y Coma està" son algunas de las primeras palabras que aprendemos a decir en español. |
| 4 | The professor and forum members tell us when our efforts are wrong. | El profesor y los miembros del foro cuentan que nuestros esfuerzos están incorrectos. |
"There is not very much difference between speak and talk. Talk is the more usual word to refer to conversational exchanges and informal communication.
Speak is often used for one-way communication and for exchanges in more serious or formal situations. Speak is the usual word to refer to knowledge and use of languages.
After tell, we usually say who is told, i.e., tell someone something."
Tell is a transitive verb and always requires an object directly afterwards. Ie you must say who the person you were telling was immediately.
Except in set phrases like:
Tell a story
Or when it means "to decipher" or "notice" like:
I can't tell what that sign says. (I can't read the sign) I can tell you like him. (I can see that you like him)
Tell someONE.
I told him I loved him. - I said TO him THAT i loved him.
Say someTHING.
I said I was tired. (indirect speech) I said "I am tired." (direct speech) I told THEM I was tired. Tell cannot be used with direct speech. (correct me if I'm wrong there)
Speak is the same as talk grammatically, we say talk in most situations but speak collocates with languages. And, as bandit said, speak can be more formal at times.
I speak Spanish.
Boss to employee: When you have a minute, I'd like to speak to you. 
Friend to friend: When you have a minute, I'd love to talk to you. 
Girlfriend to boyfriend: We need to talk. 
Okay here are my attempts at translation (translation does not help you understand the difference between words like this.. and anyway I'm bad at it!)
Contar una historia
Decir a alguien.
Dijo a el que le quería.
Decir algo.
Dijo que estuve cansada. Dijo "Estoy cansada". Dijo a ellos que estuve cansada.
Hablo español. (JA!)
Jefe a trabajador: "Cuando tienes una momento, quiero hablar con usted"
Amiga a Amiga: "Cuando tienes una momento, quiero hablar contigo"
Novia a novio: "Necesitamos hablar."
Corregid mi español por favor! ......
.........
Tell (contar) Say (decir) Speak (hablar) Talk (hablar)
Don’t speak to me while I’m talking and telling you what to say.
We usually follow tell with a personal object (the person that we are speaking to).
We usually use say without a personal object:
I told my father that I wanted some money. (tell)
Le dije a mi padre que quería algo de dinero
To tell a story to someone. (not to say a story)
Can you tell me a tale?
¿Puedes contarme un cuento?
“Tell me something” 'Digame algo' (not say me something)
A clock tells the time. (a clock does not say the time)
I said to my father that I wanted some money. (say)
Le dije a mi padre que quería algo de dinero.
A saying (un dicho) (not a telling)
“Ignorance is bliss” La ignorancia es la felicidad
“What did you say?” not “What did you tell?”
¿Qué dijiste?'
but
“What did you tell him?” "¿Qué le dijiste?"
We use “say" without a direct personal object.
Utilizamos “say” sin un objeto personal:
Tell me! – not – Say me
¡Dígame!
A president speaks to (not talks with) the nation.
Speak: (to someone)
She always speaks her mind. - Siempre dice lo que piensa
We speak English and Spanish. - Hablamos Inglés y español.
They are not speaking to each other. - Ellos no están hablando el uno al otro.
The dog barked when its master gave the command "Speak!"
El perro ladró cuando el propietario dio la orden "¡Habla! '
The lecturer spoke about the true cost of the Iraq War.
El conferenciante habló sobre el verdadero costo de la guerra de Irak.
Speaking of curry, I'm hungry! - Hablando de curry, tengo hambre!
Speak is when words come out of your mouth and is not necessarily responded to by other people.
Talk: (with someone) / to have a talk with somebody - hablar con alguien
The two friends spend a lot of time talking on the telephone.
Los dos amigos pasan mucho tiempo hablando por teléfono.
We stayed up all night talking.
Nos quedamos despiertos toda la noche hablando.
Someone needs to talk with / speak with her about her poor performance at work.
The baby is just starting to talk. He can say / speak a few words now.
He talks the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk.
Talk is when words come out of your mouth but you usually get a response by another person..
Example:
You can speak to a wall but cannot talk with a wall. (it will not talk with you)
For fun, I looked up some etymology on these English words. I found the first one a bit surprising:
..
speak - Middle English speken, from Old English sprecan, specan; akin to Old High German sprehhan to speak, Greek spharageisthai to crackle
talk - Middle English; akin to Old English talu tale
say - Middle English, from Old English secgan; akin to Old High German sag?n to say, Lithuanian sakyti, Greek ennepein to speak, tell
tell - Middle English, from Old English tellan; akin to Old High German zellen to count, tell, Old English talu tale
"Hablo ruso" = I speak Russian. Never "I talk" Russian or I "say" Russian.
"¿Qué me dices?" = What did you say to me? Never, "What did you talk to me?"
"Dime otra vez" = Tell me again. Never, "Talk" me again or "say" me again.
He talks about politics. Habla de (las) políticas.
He speaks well. Habla bien.
He says that you're being dramatic(al?). Dice que te hace el dramático.
He tells you the truth. Te dice la verdad.
Good exercise, by the way. I guess some pointers would be to use hablar for talk and speak, and probably decir for say, and contar for tell, but it all depends on the context. Thanks 
Children should only speak when they are spoken to.
Niños deben hablar solo cuando adultos hablan con ellos.
Why is it that when we talk to God we're said to be praying, but when God talks to us we're schizophrenic?
Porqué es la razón que cuando hablamos con Dios se dicen estamos orando, pero cuando Dios habla con nosotros, somos esquizofrénicos.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Di las cosas que significas, y significa las cosas que dices.
Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.
Digame y olvidaré; muestrame y es posible que recordaré; implicame y entenderé.
a) talk:-
1- I talked to Mariana about the party.
2- Hablé con/ sobre Mariana acerca de la fiesta.
^_^ : You talk to someone about something (a subject).
b) Speak:-
1- I spoke to Peter yesterday.
2- Hablé con Peter ayer.
^_^ : you speak when you make words into sounds.
c) Say:-
1- I said ''we have to clean the room.''.
2- Dije ''tenemos que limpiar el cuarto.
^_^ : You say particular words or sentences.
d) Tell:-
1- I told you the story.
2- Te dije la historia.
^_^ : You tell someone something you said before.
Thanks a lot for the exercise Ian
