Difference Between Speak Talk & Tell

Hi there! In English language, there are some words that carry the same meaning. Almost the same meaning. But create a great confusion that where should we use them in conversation. So today I have picked the word Talk, Speak and Tell. All three words carry almost the same meaning. They are very much near with one another in their meaning. But sometimes they are used at a different places when we make a communication.

Suppose if I am telling you. 'I need to talk to you' Or ' I need to speak to you.' So both are correct. We can use 'talk' at the place of 'speak' and the word 'speak' at the place of 'talk' also. It does not create a huge difference. Almost they are same. But if few sentences actually they are different in few senses somewhere. They deliver the different messages that we need to understand how, where and when exactly. 'Talk' is considered a less formal word. For an example by saying a less formal word, 'I am talking to my friend over the phone' Alright! Not very much formal conversation. It is something general conversation. 'I will talk to my mom about this.' 'What you told me I'll definitely talk to my mom.' Again it seems less formal. Okay! 'They were talking about the movie they saw yesterday.' Alright! Again here is also a general conversation about the movie they saw yesterday. So we use they were 'talking'. 

We use the word 'talk' but when we come to 'speak'. 'Speak' word seems a bit formal. In another way 'speak' is a kind of word which is used sometime. I'm not telling you that it cannot be used at the place of talk definitely it can be. But 'speak' is used sometimes for a one-way conversation. One-way conversation means when we use the word 'talk'. There are the exchange of thoughts between two people or more than between two people. But when we are using the word 'speak' one-way conversation. It means a single person is delivering the messages by telling something or by giving some information in terms of conversation. For example, 'My professor spoke.' That is the second form of the word 'speak'. Alright! 'My professor spoke about corruption in the classroom for hours.' ('मेरे प्रोफेसर ने करप्शन के बारे में बाते की या करप्शन के बारे में इनफार्मेशन दी') So for that term, (बाते की) give information we are using the word here 'spoke'. Alright! For hours (घंटो तक ). We not using the here word 'talk' we are using the word here 'spoke'. That was a formal conversation. That was the most organised conversation comparatively to talk. So my professor spoke about the corruption in the classroom for hours. Another example you can take, 'I have spoken to the employees regarding their salaries.' Again here the one-way conversation is going on and I am considering and delivering that conversation in terms of formal manner. Alright! Next example you can take, 'When the president speaks everyone listens. Again one-way conversation. For an organised speech You are using 'Speak' word for a 'Speech'. Which is more organised. We are not using here when the president talks. We are using the word here when the president speaks everyone listens. So again speak has been used in a better formal manner in the comparison of talk. The big huge difference between talk and speak is, "Speak is used when we refer to a language". What we say? We say, 'I can speak English fluently'. We never say, 'I can talk English fluently'. (That is the only dialogues in the movies I can talk English or walk English or XYZ that you you guys enjoy sometime No! it has nothing to do Gramiticly Correct Alright! It is, 'I can speak English well', 'I can speak French well') So when we are referring to the language we use the word 'Speak'. The correct word is 'Speak'. So in this manner, the word 'Speak' and 'Talk' can be some way different but they can be used interchangeably. 

Another last word is 'Tell'. It is only used to give information. To provide information. We say, 'Tell me the truth.' I am asking you to give information about the truth. So 'Tell me the truth.' 'Tell me about your hobbies.' Alright! I'm telling you to give me the information about your hobbies. 'I will tell him about what you said.' ('आपने मुझसे जो खा था मैं उसके बारे में बता दूंगी') That is again 'I will provide him information what you said. Alright! She told me about the incident. Again she provided me information about the incident so she told me about the incident. So Tell is only used to provide some information. It is quite different from 'Talk' and 'Speak' and last and important information is all three words are verbs. They are action verbs Alright! So when next time you use such words always speak in your mind that where exactly they can be used on the right place.