speak
To communicate with one's voice, to say words out loudTo communicate with one's voice, to say words out loud.
» I was too surprised to speak.
Ich war zu überrascht, um etwas zu sagen.
Ich war zu erstaunt, um etwas zu sagen.
Ich war zu erstaunt, um zu sprechen.
Я был так удивлён, что не мог говорить.
Я був занадто здивований, щоб говорити.
Я був занадто здивований, щоб я міг говорити.
Я була занадто здивована, щоб я могла говорити.
Meaning
12 senses(intransitive)To communicate with one's voice, to say words out loud.
I was so surprised I couldn't speak.
You're speaking too fast.
sprechen, reden, rede
говори́тьgovorítʹ, разгова́риватьrazgovárivatʹ
говори́тиhovorýty, сказа́тиskazáty, розмовля́тиrozmovljáty
(intransitive, reciprocal)To have a conversation.
It's been ages since we've spoken.
sprechen, reden
разгова́риватьrazgovárivatʹ
розмовля́тиrozmovljáty
(broadly)To communicate or converse by some means other than orally, such as writing or facial expressions.
He spoke of it in his diary.
Speak to me only with your eyes.
kommunizieren
обща́тьсяobščátʹsja
(intransitive)To deliver a message to a group; to deliver a speech.
This evening I shall speak on the topic of correct English usage.
express in speech
(stative, transitive)To be able to communicate in a language.
He speaks Mandarin fluently.
sprechen
говори́тьgovorítʹ, разгова́риватьrazgovárivatʹ
use language
To be able to communicate in a language.
(broadly, stative, transitive)To be able to communicate in the manner of specialists in a field.
(transitive)To utter.
I was so surprised that I couldn't speak a word.
говори́тьgovorítʹ, сказа́тьskazátʹ
(transitive)To communicate (some fact or feeling); to bespeak, to indicate.
сообща́тьsoobščátʹ
(humorous, informal, sometimes, transitive)To understand (as though it were a language).
Sorry, I don't speak idiot.
So you can program in C. But do you speak C++?
(intransitive)To produce a sound; to sound.
make a characteristic or natural sound
Of a bird, to be able to vocally reproduce words or phrases from a human language.
(archaic, transitive)To address; to accost; to speak to.
Examples
16360 sentencesI was too surprised to speak.
Я був занадто здивований, щоб говорити.
ruЯ был так удивлён, что не мог говорить.
deIch war zu überrascht, um etwas zu sagen.
How many languages can you speak?
Скількома мовами ти розмовляєш?
ruНа скольких языках ты говоришь?
deWie viele Sprachen kannst du?
Is it hard to speak English?
Англійською важко розмовляти?
ruТрудно ли говорить по-английски?
deIst es schwierig, Englisch zu sprechen?
English is spoken in many countries.
Англійською говорять у багатьох країнах.
ruПо-английски говорят во многих странах.
deEnglisch wird in vielen Ländern gesprochen.
I wish I could speak English.
Я би хотів уміти говорити англійською.
ruЖаль, что я не говорю по-английски.
deIch wünschte, ich könnte Englisch sprechen.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 4
By meaning 2
Origin
From Middle English speke, speken (“to speak”), from Old English specan (“to speak”). ThisFrom Middle English speke, speken (“to speak”), from Old English specan (“to speak”). This is usually taken to be an irregular alteration of earlier sprecan, spreocan (“to speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *sprekan, from Proto-Germanic *sprekaną (“to speak, make a sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *spreg- (“to make a sound, utter, speak”). Finding this proposed loss of r from the stable cluster spr unparalleled, Hill instead sets up a different root, Proto-West Germanic *spekan (“to negotiate”) from Proto-Indo-European *bʰégʾ-e- (“to distribute”) with *s-mobile, which collapsed in meaning with *sprekan ("to speak" < "to crackle, prattle") and so came to be seen as a free variant thereof.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
speaks, speaking, spoke, spokePhrasal verbs
4 phrasal verbs- speak upвиказувати, виказатиTo talk more loudly or clearly.
- speak outвиказувати, виказатиTo assert or promote one's opinion; to make one's thoughts known.
- speak forнаймати, задіюватиUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see speak, for.
- speak toTo give evidence regarding something; to attest or provide evidence for; to bespeak.
Synonyms
21 synonymsAntonyms
1 antonymsWord family
59 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A2Say, tell, speak or talk — Because the lesson uses it
- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
Collocations
12 patterns- speaking speaking
- how to speak
- can't speak
- at speaking speaking
- was speaking speaking
- able to speak
- who can speak
- speaking speaking in
- to speak to
- good at speaking
- want to speak
- generally speaking speaking