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Talk TO Or Talk WITH?

Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course

Download 500+ English Phrases

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TALK TO AND
TALK WITH
A lot of students ask me about the difference between talk
to and talk with. 

The answer is that there’s essentially NO difference when two

people are having a conversation, and both of them are
speaking. You can say “Sue is talking to John” or “Sue is
talking with John” – they’re the same!

Some people claim that talk to should be used when it’s only

one person speaking, and talk with should be used when it’s
more of a two-sided discussion.

However, in practice, many native speakers use both

interchangeably. Here are some examples.

 Can I talk to you for a minute?

= Can I talk with you for a minute?

Brian’s over there, talking to Matt.

= Brian’s over there, talking with Matt.

I talked to my boss and she said I could take a day off.

= I talked with my boss and she said I could take a day

off.

Here are some other combinations of talk + preposition:

Talk About + (Topic/Person)

This is the most common way to express speaking about a
topic. The topic can be serious or not so serious.

We talked about our favorite movies.

Everyone’s talking about the World Cup.
They always talk about me behind my back.

(behind my back = when I’m not present/listening)

Talk Over / Talk Through +
(Problem/Issue)
We use talk over and talk through to describe a more
detailed, in-depth discussion, often when there’s a decision to
be made, or a problem or conflict that needs to be
resolved. Talk through can also be used for explanation of a
process step by step.

I’m not about to buy a car on a whim. I need to talk it

over with my wife first.

(on a whim = on impulse, spontaneously)

My business partner and I talked things over and came
up with a plan.

(came up with = created/invented)

If you’re not happy in the relationship, you should talk it
through with your boyfriend.

(= discuss a problem in depth)

The IT guy talked us through the installation of the new
computer program.

(= explain a process)

Talk Someone Into / Talk

Someone Out Of

+ Doing Something
To talk someone into doing something means to convince
that person to do it. He/she didn’t want to do it, but you
managed to change their mind.

I was hesitant to try ice skating, but Helen talked me

into going.
Let’s see if we can talk Pete into giving us free food.
I can’t believe the salesman talked you into buying a
$7,000 sound system.
The opposite is to talk someone out of doing something –
meaning to convince the person NOT to do it:

I was going to buy an iPhone, but Fred talked me out of it

by telling me all the ways that Samsung phones are
better.
He wants to get a giant tattoo, and his wife is trying
to talk him out of it.
I’m glad my friend talked me out of quitting school when
I was about to give up.

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