speak
verbWord Family
- speak verb
- speaker noun
- speech noun
- spoken adjective (≠ unspoken)
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they speak | |
| he / she / it speaks | |
| past simple spoke | |
| past participle spoken | |
| -ing form speaking |
- [intransitive]
to talk to somebody about something; to have a conversation with somebody 谈；谈话；交谈 - speak to somebody
The President refused to speak to reporters. 总统拒绝对记者讲话。 - speak about something
We never spoke about her illness. 我们从未谈论过她的病情。 The confidential setting allowed us to speak freely about our concerns. 保密的设置让我们可以自由地谈论我们的担忧。 - speak to somebody about something/somebody
I've spoken to the manager about it. 那件事我已经和经理谈过了。 - (especially North American English) speak with somebody (about something/somebody)
Can I speak with you for a minute? 我能跟你谈一会儿吗？ ‘Do you know him?’ ‘Not to speak to.’ (= I recognize him but do not really know him) “你认识他吗？” “见过但没说过话。” ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a phone conversation) “请让苏珊接电话好吗？” “我就是。” I saw her in the street but we didn't speak. 我在街上看见她了，但我们没有谈话。
Synonyms talktalk- discuss
- speak
- communicate
- debate
- consult
- talk to speak in order to give information, express feelings or share ideas:
We talked on the phone for over an hour. 我们在电话里谈了一个多小时。
- discuss (rather formal
) to talk and share ideas on a subject or problem with other people, especially in order to decide something: 指谈论、讨论、商量： Have you discussed the problem with anyone? 你与谁商量过这个问题吗？
- speak to talk to somebody about something; to have a conversation with somebody:
I’ve spoken to the manager about it. 那件事我已经和经理谈过了。 ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a phone conversation) “请让苏珊接电话好吗？”“我就是。”
talk or speak? 用 talk 还是 speak？ - communicate (rather formal
) to exchange information or ideas with somebody: 指与某人交流信息或意见： We only communicate by email. 我们只是互通电邮。 Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other. 海豚用声音相互沟通。
- debate to discuss something, especially formally, before making a decision or finding a solution:
Politicians will be debating the bill later this week. 政界将在本周晚些时候讨论这项议案。
- consult (rather formal
) to discuss something with somebody in order to get their permission for something, or to help you make a decision: 指（与某人）商议、商量（以得到许可或帮助决策）： You shouldn’t have done it without consulting me. 你不该不和我商量就做。
- to talk/discuss something/speak/communicate/debate/consult with somebody
- to talk/speak to somebody
- to talk/speak to somebody/consult somebody about something
- to talk/speak of something
Extra ExamplesI'm speaking from experience. 我是凭经验说话。 I didn't get a chance to speak to him. 我没有机会跟他说话。 No one had ever dared speak to him like that before. 还没有人敢这么跟他说过话。 Employees have to get permission to speak to the media. 员工必须获得许可才能与媒体交谈。 We're not speaking to each other at the moment. 我们现在没在说话。 Police would like to speak to anyone who saw the incident. 警察想和任何看到这一事件的人谈谈。 Speaking to journalists before the premiere, the actor praised the film. 在首映前对记者讲话时，这位演员称赞了这部电影。 I've spoken to a number of people and they all agreed with me. 我和很多人谈过，他们都同意我的观点。 Speak to friends and family first, before making any major decisions. 在做任何重大决定之前，先和朋友和家人谈谈。 It's better to speak directly to the patient. 最好直接和病人说。 I need to speak to Joseph about this matter. 我需要和约瑟夫谈谈此事。 I need to speak with your parents. 我需要和你父母谈谈。 You should speak with someone who knows more about the subject. 你应该和更了解这个主题的人谈谈。 I had the opportunity to speak with the president alone. 我有机会单独和总统谈话。 I spoke at length with him last week. 上周我和他谈了很久。 I need colleagues with whom I can speak frankly. 我需要能和我坦率交谈的同事。 He spoke on condition of anonymity. 他要求匿名。 I could guess what he wanted to speak about, but I let him broach the subject. 我能猜到他想说什么，但我让他提出了这个问题。 We've spoken about this many times before. 我们已经说过很多次了。 We spoke briefly on the phone. 我们在电话里短短谈了几句。 I know who she is, but we've never spoken. 我知道她是谁，但我们从未说过话。 The brothers have fallen out and barely speak. 兄弟俩闹翻了，几乎不说话。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- briefly
- at length
- hardly
- …
- want to
- refuse to
- dare (to)
- …
- about
- to
- with
- …
- be on speaking terms (with somebody)
- a/the chance to speak
- a/the opportunity to speak
- …
- speak to somebody
- [intransitive]
to use your voice to say something 说话；讲话 The illness left him unable to speak. 疾病使他不能说话。 Please speak more slowly. 请讲慢点。 Without speaking, she stood up and went out. 她没有说话，站起身来走了出去。 He speaks with a Scottish accent. 他说话带有苏格兰口音。 She speaks in a husky voice. 她用沙哑的声音说话。 She has a beautiful speaking voice. 她说话的音色很美。
Extra ExamplesShe was so moved she could hardly speak. 她感动得几乎说不出话来。 Nancy spoke softly. 南希轻声说话。 You must speak loudly and clearly on the stage. 在台上讲话时声音要响亮、清楚。 He lost his ability to speak. 他说不了话了。 the sounds made by a baby as it's learning to speak 婴儿在学习说话时发出的声音 He was so afraid of breaking down he couldn't trust himself to speak. 他太害怕崩溃，以至于不相信自己能说话。 The main character speaks directly into the camera. 主人公对着镜头直接讲话。 She opened her mouth to speak and found she couldn't. 她开口想说话，却说不出来。 He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. 他点了点头，不敢说什么。 I nodded, afraid to speak. 我点点头，不敢说话。 For a while nobody spoke. 有一阵子没人说话。 Raise your hand if you want to speak. 想说话就举手。 They take it in turns to speak. 他们轮流发言。 Look at me while I'm speaking. 我说话的时候看着我。 He always tends to speak first in any situation. 在任何情况下，他总是倾向于先发言。 Do you feel shy about speaking in meetings? 在会议上发言你会感到害羞吗？ The children are never given a chance to speak. 孩子们从来没有机会说话。 They were speaking in hushed tones. 他们在小声说话。 The characters speak in Cockney accents. 这些角色用伦敦腔说话。 The whistle blower spoke anonymously on the radio. 告密者在广播中匿名发言。 I'm speaking from experience, having been there often. 因为经常去那儿，我就说说自己的经验。 I'm speaking from a teacher's perspective. 我是站在老师的角度说的。 She's speaking from a position of authority. 她站在权威的立场上说话。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can (hardly)
- …
- about
- on
- against
- …
- the ability to speak
- have the courage to speak
- the right to speak
- …
- [transitive]
(not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时 to be able to use a particular language 会说，会讲（某种语言） Extra Exampleslearning to speak a foreign language 学一门外语 Peter was learning to speak French. 彼得正在学讲法语。 How many languages do you speak? 你能说几种语言？ None of them speak English. 他们都不会讲英语。 None of them can speak English. 他们都不会说英语。 The ability to speak another language is a valued skill. 能说一门外语是一种宝贵的技能。 She speaks an unusual dialect. 她说一种不寻常的方言。 He speaks German fluently. 他德语说得很流利。 He speaks fluent German. 他的德语说得很流利。 I'm sorry, I don't speak any Russian. 对不起，我不会说俄语。 She speaks a few words of Japanese. 她会说几句日语。 It's difficult if you don't speak the language. 如果你不会说这门语言，那就很难。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fluently
- well
- be able to
- can
- be unable to
- …
- in
- the ability to speak something
- [transitive, intransitive]
to use a particular language to express yourself 用（某种语言）说话 - speak something
What language is it they're speaking? 他们讲的是什么语？ - speak in something
Would you prefer it if we spoke in German? 我们用德语讲好吗？ What language are they speaking in? 他们说的是哪种语言？
Extra ExamplesThey were speaking in a language I didn't understand. 他们在用我听不懂的语言说话。 They were speaking a language I didn't understand. 他们在说一种我听不懂的语言。 What language do you speak at home? 你在家说什么语言？ Only English is spoken in the classroom. 教室里只讲英语。 You can hear many different languages being spoken in these streets. 你可以在这些街道上听到许多不同的语言。 She speaks German to her kids and Italian to her husband. 她对孩子说德语，对丈夫说意大利语。 We spoke half in Spanish and half in English. 我们一半说西班牙语，一半说英语。 I speak in my own language and she speaks in hers, and we get along fine. 我用我自己的语言说话，她用她的语言说话，我们相处得很好。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fluently
- well
- be able to
- can
- be unable to
- …
- in
- the ability to speak something
- speak something
(in adjectives 构成形容词 speaking the language mentioned 讲…语的 French-speaking Canada 加拿大法语区 non-English-speaking students 不会讲英语的学生
- [intransitive] speak of/about something/somebody
to mention or describe something/somebody 提起；讲述 She still speaks about him with great affection. 说起他来她依旧一往情深。 He was speaking publicly for the first time about the incident. 他第一次公开谈论这件事。 Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame. 目击者都谈到有个大火球。 Her students speak very highly of her (= they say very good things about her). 她的学生对她评价很高。 Speaking of travelling, (= referring back to a subject just mentioned) are you going anywhere exciting this year? 说到旅游，你今年要去什么好玩的地方吗？ The brochure speaks of beautiful secluded grounds. 这本小册子谈到了美丽的僻静的地方。
Synonyms mentionmention- refer to somebody/something
- speak
- cite
- quote
- mention to write or speak about something/somebody, especially without giving much information:
Nobody mentioned anything to me about it. 没人跟我提过这事。
- refer to somebody/something (rather formal
) to mention or speak about somebody/something: 指提到、谈及、说起： I promised not to refer to the matter again. 我答应过再不提这事了。
- speak to mention or describe somebody/something:
Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame. 目击者都谈到有个大火球。
- cite (formal
) to mention something as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying: 指提及（原因）、举出（示例）证明： He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown. 他提到巨大的工作负荷是导致他精神崩溃的原因。
- quote to mention an example of something to support what you are saying:
Can you quote me an instance of when this happened? 你能否给我举例说明一下发生这事的情况？
cite or quote? 用 cite 还是 quote？ - to mention/refer to/speak of/cite/quote somebody/something as somebody/something
- to mention/refer to/cite/quote a(n) example/instance/case of something
- frequently/often mentioned/referred to/spoken of/cited/quoted
- the example mentioned/referred to/cited/quoted above/earlier/previously
Extra ExamplesHe spoke of the need for patience. 他谈到需要耐心。 He speaks of the experience as one of the highlights of his career. 他说这段经历是他职业生涯的亮点之一。 They're speaking of things they don't understand. 他们在谈论他们不理解的事情。 He speaks frankly about his own shortcomings. 他坦率地谈到自己的缺点。 She has never spoken openly about her early life. 她从未公开谈论过自己的早年生活。 You can speak freely about anything you like. 你可以自由地谈论你喜欢的任何事情。 one of the rare instances in which the sculptor spoke directly about the issue of race in art 雕塑家直接谈论艺术中种族问题的罕见例子之一 They are willing to speak candidly about their pain and loss. 他们愿意坦率地谈论他们的痛苦和损失。 He spoke passionately about his novel. 他热情洋溢地谈论他的小说。 He speaks very warmly of you. 他很热情地提起你。 They speak nostalgically of those days. 他们怀旧地谈起那些日子。 Speaking of Brett, why isn't he here? 说到布雷特，他怎么没来？ “Speaking of that,” I interrupted, “how much is this going to cost?” “说到这个，”我打断了他，“这要花多少钱？ I had lunch with her the other day. Speaking of which, let's stop for something to eat. 前几天我和她一起吃了午饭。说到这里，我们停下来吃点东西吧。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can (hardly)
- …
- about
- on
- against
- …
- the ability to speak
- have the courage to speak
- the right to speak
- …
- [intransitive]
to make a speech to an audience 发言；演说；演讲 Hundreds of people came to hear her speak. 数百人来听她讲话。 - + adv./prep.
I hate speaking in public. 我讨厌公开演说。 He was invited to speak at a conference. 他被邀请在一个会议上发言。 to speak on the radio 在电台上讲话 - speak (to somebody) (about something)
Professor Todd spoke to the group about her research. 托德教授向小组讲述了她的研究。 She spoke in favour of the new tax. 她发表演说，支持新税。 He has a number of speaking engagements this week. 他这个星期安排了几次演讲。
Extra ExamplesI heard him speak at the debating society. 我听过他在辩论协会的发言。 She speaks on women's issues. 她就妇女问题发言。 He said he was not authorized to speak on the matter. 他说他无权就此事发言。 She was invited to speak at a Harvard conference. 她受邀在哈佛学术会议上发言。 She is scheduled to speak today to the Economic Roundtable of Jacksonville. 她计划今天在杰克逊维尔经济圆桌会议上发言。 He was speaking at a Democratic Party rally. 他在民主党集会上发表讲话。 I visualized myself speaking in front of a large crowd. 我想象自己在一大群人面前讲话。 He spoke in support of the bill on the senate floor. 他在参议院发言支持该法案。 In the past he has spoken against gay marriage. 过去他曾反对同性婚姻。 I speak on behalf of many thousands of women. 我代表数千名妇女讲话。 She spoke eloquently about the need for action. 她雄辩地阐述了采取行动的必要性。 He will be speaking to history students about the causes of war. 他要给历史专业的学生讲述这场战争的起因。 He spoke at length about socialism. 他详细地谈到了社会主义。 First I'll speak briefly about the background to the project. 首先，我将简单介绍一下这个项目的背景。 She spoke clearly and engagingly about her work. 她清晰而动人地讲述了她的工作。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can (hardly)
- …
- about
- on
- against
- …
- the ability to speak
- have the courage to speak
- the right to speak
- …
- [transitive] speak something
to say or state something 说；讲述 She was clearly speaking the truth. 她讲的显然是实情。 He spoke the final words of the play. 剧中最后的台词是他说的。 They had the courage to speak the truth. 他们勇敢地说出了事实真相。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can (hardly)
- …
- about
- on
- against
- …
- the ability to speak
- have the courage to speak
- the right to speak
- …
have conversation交谈
use voice说话
a language语言
-speaking讲…语
mention/describe提起；讲述
make speech发表讲话
say/state说；讲述
Word OriginOld English sprecan, later specan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreken and German sprechen.
Idioms
actions speak louder than words
- (saying)
what a person actually does means more than what they say they will do 行动胜于语言
be on speaking terms (with somebody) | be speaking (to somebody)
to be willing to be polite or friendly towards somebody, especially after an argument （与某人）和好如初，和睦相处 She's not been on speaking terms with her uncle for years. 多年来她跟她叔叔一直不说话。 Are they speaking to each other again yet? 他们俩和好了没有？
Extra ExamplesWe are still on speaking terms after the argument. 争吵之后我们又和好了。 Ed and Dave aren't speaking at the moment. 埃德和戴夫现在互不说话了。
the facts speak for themselves
it is not necessary to give any further explanation about something because the information that is available already proves that it is true 事实足以说明一切
generally, broadly, roughly, relatively, etc. speaking
used to show that what you are saying is true in a general, etc. way 总的、一般、粗略、相对等说来 Generally speaking, the more you pay, the more you get. 一般来说，花钱多，买的东西就多。 There are, broadly speaking, two ways of doing this. 大致说来，做这件事有两种方法。 Personally speaking, I've always preferred Italian food. 就我个人来讲，我总是偏爱意大利菜。
Language Bank generallygenerallyWays of saying ‘in general’ “通常” 的表达方式 Women generally earn less than men. 女人通常比男人挣钱少。
Generally speaking, jobs traditionally done by women are paid at a lower rate than those traditionally done by men. 一般来说，传统上由妇女干的工作比传统上由男人干的工作报酬低。
In general/By and large, women do not earn as much as men. 总的说来，女人不如男人挣钱多。
Certain jobs, like nursing and cleaning, are still mainly carried out by women. 有些工作仍然主要由女性做，比如护理和保洁。
Senior management posts are predominantly held by men. 高层管理职位大多由男性担任。
Most senior management posts tend to be held by men. 大多数高层管理职位通常由男性担任。
Women are, for the most part, still paid less than men. 女人的薪水多半仍比男人低。
Economic and social factors are, to a large extent, responsible for women being concentrated in low-paid jobs. 经济和社会因素在很大程度上导致女性集中于低报酬工作。
in a manner of speaking
no…/nothing to speak of
so to speak
speak for itself/themselves
speak for myself/herself/himself, etc.
speak for yourself
speak/think ill of somebody
speaking as something
used to say that you are the type of person mentioned and are expressing your opinion from that point of view （表示从某种角度看问题）作为…来说
speak your mind
to say exactly what you think, in a very direct way 说心里话；说实在的；坦率地说 She’s never hesitated about speaking her mind. 她从不犹豫说出自己的想法。 Everyone should have the right to speak their mind. 每个人都有权说出自己的想法。
speak/talk of the devil
speak out of turn
to say something when you should not, for example because it is not the right time or you are not the right person to say it 说话不合时宜（或不合身份）
speak/talk out of turn
to say something that you should not because it is the wrong situation or because it offends somebody 说话出格（或冒失、鲁莽、不合时宜）
speak/talk the same language
to be able to communicate easily with another person because you share similar opinions and experience （因意见和经历相似）能容易地沟通，说得来，有共同语言
speak volumes (about/for something/somebody)
to tell you a lot about something/somebody, without the need for words 充分说明；清楚表明 His achievement speaks volumes for his determination. 他的成就充分证明了他的决心。 What you wear speaks volumes about you. 你的衣着会清楚地说明你是一个什么样的人。
speak well/ill of somebody
- (formal)
to say good or bad things about somebody 称赞（或贬损）某人；说某人的好话（或坏话） She never speaks ill of anyone. 她从不说任何人的坏话。
strictly speaking