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Glite Dictionary
to talk to oneself

to talk to oneself

66 3.7
To speak out loud when alone to help you think
  • phrasal verb
  • /tɔk tu wʌnˈsɛlf/
translation icon : hablar solo
  • When I am alone, I often talk to myself to help organize my thoughts.
  • start talking to yourself
  • just talk to yourself
  • stop talking to yourself

Examples

Synonyms

to think out loud
vsto talk to oneself
12 4.7

Say ideas aloud as they come to you

is done alone to work through ideas or feelings
to think aloud
vsto talk to oneself
3 5.5

To say your thoughts out loud as you form them

is used while alone to work through ideas or feelings
to soliloquize
vsto talk to oneself
  • Literature
1 9.9

To say your thoughts out loud when you are alone or on stage

is more private and informal, used to process feelings or ideas
to have a word with oneself
vsto talk to oneself
1 8.6

To talk to yourself to think about and criticize your actions

is used for private reflection often focused on self-criticism
to monologuise
vsto talk to oneself
  • UK
9.9

To talk to yourself for a long time like a speech

is usually shorter and used to process ideas or feelings
to monologuize
vsto talk to oneself
  • US
9.9

To speak out loud to yourself for a long time

is often briefer and aimed at inner processing rather than performance

Antonyms

to be quiet
231 1.0

To stop making noise or talking

to say less and listen
  • Informal
7.5

To speak less and pay attention to other people's words

How Loud

to talk to oneself
66 3.7
to mutter
140 3.7

Surface Forms

talk to oneself infinitive
talked to oneself past
talked to oneself past participle
talking to oneself present participle
talks to oneself third person singular

Morphology

talk + to + oneself

The meaning 'to speak aloud to oneself' is directly derivable from combining 'talk' (to speak) with the directional/recipient marker 'to' and the reflexive 'oneself' (referring back to the speaker). This reflexive, compositional pattern is common across languages and follows standard English grammar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Talk to oneself comes from the simple image of a person saying words out loud, where the talk is to their oneself and not to another person, like when practicing a speech or thinking through a problem. So, it means 'to speak aloud when alone' or to say things out loud to help think.