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Glite Dictionary
to speak to

to speak to

∞ 1.7
To talk to someone about a problem or plan
  • phrasal verb
  • /spiːk tuː/
translation icon : dirigirse a
  • Franz, I have to speak to you about something important.
  • speak to an audience
  • speak to students
  • speak to parents

So come through me, speak to me, guide me.

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Examples

Synonyms

to talk
vsto speak to
∞ 1.0

Speak with someone to share ideas or information

is used to raise or deal with a specific matter instead of casual chat
to discuss
vsto speak to
∞ 1.6

To talk with other people about something, often in detail

focuses on bringing up or handling a matter rather than detailed debate
to communicate
vsto speak to
773 2.3

Share information, ideas, or feelings with someone

is specifically about direct spoken handling of a matter rather than any medium
to address
vsto speak to
211 3.9

To speak to someone directly, especially to ask a question

is broader and often means bringing up and resolving a matter
to converse
vsto speak to
29 3.3

To talk with someone in a friendly way

is more about bringing up or handling a particular matter than casual exchange

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

How Direct

to confront
310 4.1
to address
211 3.9
to speak to
∞ 1.7
to mention
∞ 1.0
to hint
136 2.0

Surface Forms

speak to infinitive
speaking to present participle
speaks to third person singular
spoke to past
spoken to past participle

Morphology

speak + to

The meaning 'to talk to someone' is directly and transparently derived from 'speak' (to use spoken words) combined with the preposition 'to' indicating the addressee; this is a straightforward verb + preposition construction. The pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows basic composition rules, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Speak to may come from a simple image: imagine your voice moving toward a person, the word speak plus the small word to. That's why it means 'to talk to someone' or 'to address a matter'.