speak
gb/spˈik/ us/spˈik/
A1
Αγγλικά
~ 400
Σημασίες
0 σημασίες
Ρήμα
A1
action
1
say words using your voice
To use your voice to say words.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
to speak [words]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes confuse 'speak' with 'say' or 'tell'. 'Speak' focuses on the act of talking, not on the content or the listener.
Συνώνυμα
talk (More general and informal; can also include conversation rather than just producing words.)
Αντώνυμα
stay silent (Not producing any spoken words.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
speak clearly
|speak loudly
|speak slowly
|speak English
|speak the truth
Θέματα
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- She speaks three languages fluently.
- Please speak more slowly so everyone can understand.
- I spoke to my neighbor about the noise.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- I speak English at school.
- Please speak slowly.
- She speaks to her teacher every day.
Ρήμα
A1
action
2
talk with someone
To talk with someone.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
to speak to/with [someone]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners may forget to use 'to' or 'with' when indicating the person being addressed.
Συνώνυμα
converse (More formal and less common in everyday speech.)
Αντώνυμα
ignore (To deliberately avoid talking to someone.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
speak to a friend
|speak with a manager
|speak directly
Θέματα
communication
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- I need to speak with you about tomorrow's meeting.
- She spoke to the doctor about her symptoms.
- They haven't spoken to each other in years.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- I speak to my friend every day.
- He speaks with his boss in the morning.
- She speaks to her mother on the phone.
Ρήμα
B1
action
3
express an opinion verbally
To say what you think or feel using words.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
to speak [about/on] [topic]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes confuse this with 'talk about', which is more informal but similar in meaning.
Συνώνυμα
voice (Often used figuratively for expressing opinions or concerns.)
Αντώνυμα
withhold (To keep an opinion or information to oneself.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
speak frankly
|speak openly
|speak honestly
Θέματα
communication
|opinions
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- She spoke about the importance of education.
- He spoke in favor of the new policy.
- Several people spoke against the proposal.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- She speaks about her job.
- He speaks about his ideas.
- They speak about the plan.
Ρήμα
B1
action
4
give a formal address
To talk to a group of people in a formal way.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
to speak at [event]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners may confuse this sense with casual 'talk', but here it implies formality and audience focus.
Συνώνυμα
address (More formal and specifically means speaking to an audience.)
Αντώνυμα
listen (The opposite role in a communication event.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
speak at a conference
|speak in public
|speak before an audience
Θέματα
communication
|public speaking
|work
Παραδείγματα
- The president will speak at the opening ceremony.
- She was nervous about speaking in front of so many people.
- He spoke to the crowd for over an hour.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- She speaks at school events.
- He speaks at meetings.
- They speak at big parties.
Ρήμα
A1
action
5
use a specific language to talk
To use a language when you talk.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
to speak [language]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes use 'talk' instead of 'speak' for languages, but 'speak' is standard when naming a language.
Συνώνυμα
use (a language) (More general term for applying a language skill.)
Αντώνυμα
remain silent (Not using any language verbally.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
speak Spanish
|speak fluently
|speak a foreign language
Θέματα
communication
|languages
|education
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- Do you speak Japanese?
- She speaks French at home and English at work.
- Many people in Switzerland speak several languages.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- I speak Chinese.
- He speaks English very well.
- They speak two languages.
Γραμματική
Λημματική μορφή
speak
IPA
GB/spˈik/
US/spˈik/
Συλλαβές και τόνος
speak (1 συλλαβή)
Stress on 1st syllable (speak)
Τύποι λέξης
Verb
- Base: speak
- 3rd Person Singular: speaks
- Present Participle: speaking
- Past: spoke
- Past Participle: spoken
Οικογένεια λέξεων
Forms
speaks
verb
speaking
verb
spoke
verb
spoken
verb
Related words
spokesperson
noun B2
outspoken
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
speechless
adjective B1
unspeakable
adjective
Advanced or less common
unspeakably
adverb
Κύρια σημεία
- Irregular past: spoke Verb
- Irregular past participle: spoken Verb
Εκφράσεις
so to speak
1/sˈoʊ tə spˈik/
idiom
'in a manner of speaking' phrase
Used when what you say is not exactly true, but expresses your meaning in another way.
Παραδείγματα
- We had to fight for our rights, so to speak.
- He's the brains of the operation, so to speak.
speak up
1/spˈik ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
talk louder so others hear you
To talk louder so people can hear you better.
Παραδείγματα
- Could you speak up? I can't hear you from the back.
- She spoke up so everyone could hear her question.
frankly speaking
1/fɹˈæŋkli spˈikɪŋ/
fixed phrase
'honestly saying' phrase intro
Used before saying something in an honest and direct way.
Παραδείγματα
- Frankly speaking, I don't think this will work.
- Frankly speaking, you should have been more careful.
frankly speaking
2/fɹˈæŋkli spˈikɪŋ/
fixed phrase
honestly speaking
Used before saying something in a very honest and direct way.
Παραδείγματα
- Frankly speaking, I don’t trust him.
- Frankly speaking, the project has many problems.
speak of the devil
1/spˈik əv ðə dˈɛvəl/
idiom
informal
'person appears after mention' idiom
Said when someone appears just after you have been talking about them.
Παραδείγματα
- Speak of the devil! We were just talking about you.
- Speak of the devil—here’s Anna now, just as we were talking about her new job.
- And then, speak of the devil, he walked into the room.
- We were complaining about our boss when, speak of the devil, he walked into the room.