Speak vs Talk
What's the difference between speak and talk?
Would you say: Can I talk to you for a second? or Can I speak with you for a second?
Also is it to or with? do you say:
I spoke to him yesterday.
or
I spoke with him yesterday.
or are they both correct?
Gracias 
!
11 Answers
I think it's more polite to say, "I'd like to speak with you," rather than, "I'd like to talk to you."
Talking to implies that you have something to say and don't really care what the other person has to say.
Speaking with sounds more like a two-way conversation. That's just my opinion.
You wouldn't be misunderstood either way. Both are correct. You could also say, "I'd like to have a word with you."
I agree with Findy, & I think generally in more formal situations you would use the verb speak.
Also though, in certain instances it would sound funny to use one word over the other. For example a native would probably never say "How many languages do you talk?" You would always hear "How many languages do you speak?" instead.
I´d pretty much agree with the other posts.
In common use, speak and talk are used pretty much interchangeably, as are the two preposition choices, with and to.
Speak with is probably the most polite and neutral or collaborative sounding. Talk with almost the same.
Speak to or talk to could mean just the same, but depending on context, could imply that the speaker will be doing more of the talking and that the conversation might be a bit more one-sided, perhaps as a superior talking to an employee. But again, even these latter two can be quite friendly and neutral.
In reality, all 4 combinations are extremely extremely close, and probably, the tone and context would convey far greater difference than the subtle nuance of the word choices.
hth
R
p.s. and I´d say in your specific example, where mentioning a 3rd party, then the difference between saying I spoke to him, vs I spoke with him, is even smaller, and in fact, virtually non-existent.
*Can I talk to you for a second?
Can I talk with you for a second?
I spoke with him yesterday.
I spoke to him yesterday*.
All grammatically correct. There is a very subtle difference between "to" and "with" with either but not necessarily always observed.
Also it used to be more polite to say, "May I talk with you for a second", "May I talk to you for a second.".
As English continues to deteriorate, there remains perhaps only a small number of people who are sensitive to the usage.
Maybe some examples will help
He gave a talk on grammar. This cannot be a "speak" on grammar.
Dio una charla sobre gramática.
to break off talks . This cannot be to break off "speaks"
suspender las conversaciones.
The two governments are meeting for talks. This cannot be meeting for "speaks"
Los dos gobiernos se reunirán para dialogar.
She’s not very good at small talk. This cannot be small "speak"
Con ella no puedes hablar de trivialidades.
May I speak to Kate?’ this can be May I talk to Kate? but " May I talk with Kate is probably better.
¿Me pone con Kate, por favor? —Sí, soy yo.
We’re not speaking to each other. This can be We're not talking to each other
No nos hablamos.
I don’t speak a word of Russian. "Talk" cannot be used here.
No sé ni una palabra de ruso.
Usually we speak to someone and talk with someone.
Talk can be a noun but speak cannot.
Can I speak/talk to/with you? Is actually incorrect English unless you are asking if you both have the ability to speak. Some are deaf, mute and blind not possessing the facilities to communicate using speech. This is commonly used instead of the correct use of may.
May I speak/talk with you? Is the most correct.
May I speak/talk to you? Implies unidirectional but it is used as an equal to with. It is closer to I need to tell you something.
Common English words for saying, telling, speaking, uttering, and so forth to pay close attention to:
(1) most common: say, speak, tell, talk, state, utter, discuss, chat, mouth (as verb), voice(as verb), enunciate, pronounce (as producing the proper sound)
(2) less common: converse, collogue (Latin colloquor), parley, dialogue(as a verb)
(3) colloquial or slang: yak, blab, gab, yammer, jaw (as a verb), chitchat (as a verb), rap, schmooze, rant.
This is only scratching the surface, including words that primarily imply oral speech, as opposed to written.
"talk a language" is an increasingly heard Americanism-- "I cannot talk a word of Swedish".
"Speak" becomes "nounish" in Doublespeak, Corporatespeak, etc.
Merely by the way, one may "talk turkey" but never speak it--unless you are talking to a turkey--nor may one "speak shop", though one may talk it.
Interestingly enough, "talk" is related etymologically to "tale", but hardly anyone ever asks about "tell", or why one cannot speak or talk "off" someone.
Doubletalk is to Doublespeak as a cabbage to a cauliflower.
Indeed, " ______speak" is now a common functor in Unitedstatesspeak and Canadaspeak, though mostly forming nonce words.
