'speak to' vs. 'speak with'

Question

Is there a difference if I 'speak to' somebody versus if I 'speak with' somebody? I'm told there is, but the person couldn't explain it. Go figure!

Dokterjokkebrok · Accepted Answer

Speak with sounds slightly more American? I'm not sure.

Eimai_Anglos · Answer

The two are almost interchangeable. However, in my mind (and I might be wrong), when you speak with somebody, you are often doing so in private.

Examples:-
He spoke to the pope as he passed by.

If you say "he spoke with the pope", this suggests something more private. In fact the expression is likely to be something like: "he spoke with the pope in private".

If you want to reinforce the "privacy" idea, you can use the phrase "to have a word with".

Example: The schoolboy had been naughty and the headmaster decided to have a word with the parents.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

If you search the Forum, you'll find other discussions about this.

Here's another point to consider.

speak with - suggests people speak to each other

speak to - possibly only one person speaks

Clive

MeiQiu · Answer

this is what I think
'speak to' means you start the conversation.

lol. I have no idea, please correct me if I'm wrong

Krishnamutta · Answer

I speak to somebody is correct according to british english. But in functional english we use speak with somebody.

'speak to' vs. 'speak with'

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