Speak to vs Speak with

“Speak to someone, or speak with someone?”

…is a common question asked by learners of English.

You will be pleased to hear that the difference is small and easy to understand.

To learn more, read on.

 

Speak to somebody

Speak to is the usual, correct way of saying that you are having a conversation with someone.

I spoke to him on the phone. The teacher wanted to speak to you. He will not speak about his problem to anyone. I have spoken to everyone individually, and this is my decision…

 

Speak with somebody

Speak with is another way of saying that you and someone else are having a conversation.

However, we would usually only use “speak with” when a conversation is a formal one.

I will be speaking with your parents this evening. First, the police spoke with the father and son. You should not feel embarrassed to speak with your doctor about anything. During his visit, the Prime Minister spoke with several foreign ministers.

 

Differences

I’ve noticed that people like to overthink the two phrases.

Do not do that.

There is zero difference in meaning between the two.

In the real world, you can say “speak to somebody” and “speak with somebody” and you will always be understood. The meaning will always be “to have a conversation with someone”, no matter which preposition you choose.

The only possible difference is in the formality of your conversation.

 

Summary

• “Speak to someone” means to have a conversation with someone,
• “Speak with someone” has the same meaning, but we tend to only use it to talk about formal conversations.