speak – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of speak

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to speak
Participle: spoken
Gerund: speaking

Cognates

See the 2 cognates of speak

Indicative

Present

Ispeak
youspeak
he;she;itspeaks
wespeak
youspeak
theyspeak

Perfect

Ihave spoken; spoke
youhave spoken; spoke
he;she;ithas spoken; spoke
wehave spoken; spoke
youhave spoken; spoke
theyhave spoken; spoke

Past

Ispoke
youspoke
he;she;itspoke
wespoke
youspoke
theyspoke

Pluperfect

Ihad spoken; spoke
youhad spoken; spoke
he;she;ithad spoken; spoke
wehad spoken; spoke
youhad spoken; spoke
theyhad spoken; spoke

Future

Iwill speak
youwill speak
he;she;itwill speak
wewill speak
youwill speak
theywill speak

Future Perfect

Iwill have spoken; spoke
youwill have spoken; spoke
he;she;itwill have spoken; spoke
wewill have spoken; spoke
youwill have spoken; spoke
theywill have spoken; spoke

Subjunctive

Present

Ispeak
youspeak
he;she;itspeak
wespeak
youspeak
theyspeak

Perfect

Ihave spoken; spoke
youhave spoken; spoke
he;she;ithave spoken; spoke
wehave spoken; spoke
youhave spoken; spoke
theyhave spoken; spoke

Imperfect

Ispoke
youspoke
he;she;itspoke
wespoke
youspoke
theyspoke

Pluperfect

Ihad spoken; spoke
youhad spoken; spoke
he;she;ithad spoken; spoke
wehad spoken; spoke
youhad spoken; spoke
theyhad spoken; spoke

Conditional

Present

Iwould speak
youwould speak
he;she;itwould speak
wewould speak
youwould speak
theywould speak

Perfect

Iwould have spoken; spoke
youwould have spoken; spoke
he;she;itwould have spoken; spoke
wewould have spoken; spoke
youwould have spoken; spoke
theywould have spoken; spoke

Imperative

youspeak
weLet's speak
youspeak

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam speaking
youare speaking
he;she;itis speaking
weare speaking
youare speaking
theyare speaking

Perfect

Ihave been speaking
youhave been speaking
he;she;ithas been speaking
wehave been speaking
youhave been speaking
theyhave been speaking

Past

Iwas speaking
youwere speaking
he;she;itwas speaking
wewere speaking
youwere speaking
theywere speaking

Pluperfect

Ihad been speaking
youhad been speaking
he;she;ithad been speaking
wehad been speaking
youhad been speaking
theyhad been speaking

Future

Iwill be speaking
youwill be speaking
he;she;itwill be speaking
wewill be speaking
youwill be speaking
theywill be speaking

Future Perfect

Iwill have been speaking
youwill have been speaking
he;she;itwill have been speaking
wewill have been speaking
youwill have been speaking
theywill have been speaking

Conditional

Present

Iwould be speaking
youwould be speaking
he;she;itwould be speaking
wewould be speaking
youwould be speaking
theywould be speaking

Perfect

Iwould have been speaking
youwould have been speaking
he;she;itwould have been speaking
wewould have been speaking
youwould have been speaking
theywould have been speaking

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'speak'

bespeak, break, speak, steal,

Verbs similar to 'speak'

peak, spean, spear, speck, spelk, steak, beak, bespeak, break, creak,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

to communicate to someone else by means of speech
articulate, babble, blab, chat, chatter, converse, discuss, jabber, quethe, say, talk, verbalize, yammer
To talk, particularly informally but persistently, such as chatter.
yak
To talk, especially excessively.
yap
talk
communicate, verbalize, articulate, say, utter, voice, converse, pronounce
lecture
address, recite, deliver, declaim

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

1. O.E. specan, variant of sprecan "to speak" (class V strong verb; past tense spræc, pp. sprecen), from P.Gmc. *sprekanan (cf. O.S. sprecan, O.Fris. spreka, M.Du. spreken, O.H.G. sprehhan, Ger. sprechen "to speak," O.N. spraki "rumor, report"), cognate with L. spargere "to strew" (speech as a "scattering" of words; see sparse). The -r- began to drop out in Late West Saxon and was gone by mid-12c., perhaps from infl. of Dan. spage "crackle," in a slang sense of "speak" (cf. crack in slang senses having to do with speech, e.g. wisecrack, cracker, all it's cracked up to be). Rare variant forms without -r- also are found in M.Du. (speken) and O.H.G. (spehhan). Not the primary word for "to speak" in O.E. ("Beowulf" prefers maþelian, from mæþel "assembly, council," from root of metan "to meet;" cf. Gk. agoreuo "to speak," originally "speak in the assembly," from agora "assembly").
2. From 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.
3. Cognates
4. Cognate with Scots speak, speik (“to speak”), Saterland Frisian spreke (“to speak”), West Frisian sprekke (“to speak”), Central Franconian sjprèche (“to speak”), Dutch and Low German spreken (“to speak”), German sprechen (“to speak”), Luxembourgish spriechen (“to speak”), and also with Albanian shpreh (“to express, manifest, show”) through Indo-European. See: Old English 'specan', Proto-Germanic '*sprekaną', Scots 'speak', Frisian, Saterlandic 'spreke', German, old spelling 'sprechen', Luxembourgish 'spriechen'.

Verbs referencing "speak"

German, old spelling sprechen, Low Saxon spreken, Sranan piki, Faroese spikka, Luxembourgish spriechen, Finnish with old forms spiikata, Indonesian sepik.

Sample Sentences

  • For convenience sake, we have said, hitherto, two _gentlemen_. One of the parties, however, when critically examined, did not seem, strictly speaking, to come under the species. He was a short, thick-set man, with coarse, commonplace features, and that swaggering air of pretension which marks a low man who is trying to elbow his way upward in the [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] which is still before me, looking at the same time round the walls, ‘Ha ! the breakfast-room, steward—eh ? ’ We all foresaw what the answer must be: we knew the agony he suffered. He had often spoken of the saloon; had taken in and lived upon the pictorial idea; had usually given us to understand, at home, that to form a just conception of it, it would be necessary to multiply the size [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] very depths of dulness and low spirits. A speck in the mist, at last! That’s something. It is the boat we wait for ! That’s more to the purpose. The captain appears on the paddle-box with his speaking trumpet; the officers take their stations; all hands are on the alert; the flagging hopes of the passengers revive; the cooks pause in their savoury work, and look out with faces full of interest. [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • “ I tell you, Haley, this must not be spoken of; I say no, and I mean no, ” said Shelby, decidedly. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] She looked nervously out on the verandah, where the boy, tired of the grave conversation, had retired, and where he was riding triumphantly up and down on Mr. Shelby's walking-stick. She would have spoken to tell her husband her fears, but checked herself. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ Tom Lincon says, ” said George, speaking with his mouth full, “ that their Jinny is a better cook than you. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] during twelve months more, and brings her little history down to the end of last year. It is very remarkable, that as we dream in words, and carry on imaginary conversations, in which we speak both for ourselves and for the shadows who appear to us in those visions of the night, so she, having no words, uses her finger alphabet in her sleep. And it has been ascertained that when her [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • “ Hush, Harry, ” she said; “ mustn't speak loud, or they will hear us. A wicked man was coming to take little Harry away from his mother, and carry him ’ way off in the dark; but mother won't let him—she's going to put on her little boy's [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] child, as, perfectly quiet with vague terror, he clung round her neck. ~~~ Old Bruno, a great Newfoundland, who slept at the end of the porch, rose, with a low growl, as she came near. She gently spoke his name, and the animal, an old pet and playmate of hers, instantly, wagging his tail, prepared to follow her, though apparently revolving much, in this simple dog's head, what such an indiscreet [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] with this mild appeal. All within-doors is very plain and simple, as it ought to be, but arranged with a view to peace and comfort. It costs no more than any other plan of arrangement, but it speaks an amount of consideration for those who are reduced to seek a shelter there, which puts them at once upon their gratitude and good behaviour. Instead of being parcelled out in great, long, [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • So I checked your phone. And there he was. Cordell. I spoke in your voice, told him the baby was his. (A Neglected Wife)
  • [ exhales sharply ] [ sighs heavily ] [ speaking indistinctly ] (Tacoma)
  • I 've spoken with Kees. If it's a serious heart attack, (iHostage)
  • These sockets saw. And these jaws spoke and swallowed. (28 Years Later)
  • I guess I 'm just speaking for myself here. (Miss You, Love You)