hablar and platicar

Question

whats the difference between hablar and platicar.Thanks

Answer 1

Judging purely from how I've heard them used... the best English translations would be:

Hablar - to speak Platicar - to converse Charlar - to chat

I've heard people use hablar for anything, so it seems the most general... platicar when a discussion/conversation is more specifically being referred to... and charlar when it's more of a casual chat/gossip/etc. (For example, my boss always uses platicar to refer to our meetings)

Answer 2

Charlar is more about chatting or gossiping.

Cool, thanks, - TheSilentHero, Jul 3, 2011

happy to help - coolclay, Jul 3, 2011

Answer 3

I think hablar is to speak or to talk, And platicar is more about conversation.

Answer 4

This comes up a lot in my weekly Spanish study group since one of the textbooks we use is Mexican

Hablar is to talk, Platicar to converse, and Charlar to chat (or gossip).

Platicar is used in Mexico. My friends and our guest instructors from other Spanish speaking countries often don't even know the word. Not everyone uses charlar either, It is used in Mexico quite often though.

I do like the subtle difference in the meanings of the three words, but be aware only Hablar is universal.

Shawn

Answer 5

I think they both mean the same but "platicar" is widely used in Mexico and Central America.

Answer 6

I wonder about the difference between charlar and platicar then?

Answer 7

In Chile, platicar always corresponded to "converse," and was pretty similar to charlar (chat).so I was surprised to hear it used as "tell" or "relate" in Mexico. For example, a guide would start to tell you about a historic building with the phrase, "Les platico que...." I also hear it used that way on my favorite radio station from Mexico City: Radip Imagen, XEDA 90.5. Wow, do we even notice these subtleties in our native languages?

We don't think about them, but we certainly use them. A lot of times if you ask Spanish speakers about this stuff, they'll have to think about how they use it - they don't consciously pick which one they're going to use... and we do the same in English. - Cyradis, Jul 4, 2011

Answer 8

Tenemos una platica pendiente. More specific.