Speak in different languages

Speak in Different Languages

Discover 'Speak' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'speak' holds a significant place in our lives as it is the primary means of communication between individuals and cultures. It is through speech that we express our thoughts, emotions, and ideas, making it a crucial aspect of human connection. The significance of 'speak' extends beyond personal interactions, as it also plays a vital role in public speaking, teaching, and entertainment.

Moreover, the word 'speak' carries cultural importance, as different languages and dialects shape the way we communicate and understand the world around us. For instance, in some Indigenous American cultures, speaking one's native language is a way to honor and preserve cultural heritage. Meanwhile, in many African countries, multilingualism is the norm, and the ability to speak multiple languages is a valuable skill.

Understanding the translation of 'speak' in different languages can be beneficial for those looking to connect with people from diverse backgrounds or expand their linguistic abilities. Here are a few examples:

  • Spanish: hablar
  • French: parler
  • Mandarin: 说 (shuō)
  • German: sprechen
  • Arabic: أتكلم (atakallam)

Speak


Speak in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanspraat
"Praat" (speak) may also mean "chat" or "gossip".
Amharicተናገር
The word "ተናገር" (speak) in Amharic has roots in the Proto-Semitic word "NGR", which means "to utter".
Hausayi magana
'Yi magana' is not only 'speak', it also means 'talk' and 'tell'.
Igbokwuo okwu
'Kwuo okwu' literally means 'drop words' or 'drop speech'.
Malagasymitenena
Mitenena is also a form of address for a respected person.
Nyanja (Chichewa)lankhulani
The word "lankhulani" can also mean "to tell a story" or "to give a speech".
Shonataura
Taura also means "the act of chewing" or "the act of grinding" in Shona.
Somalihadal
The word "hadal" in Somali also refers to the act of reciting poetry or delivering an address.
Sesothobua
The word "bua" can also mean "to say" or "to tell".
Swahilisema
The Swahili word "sema" also means "tell" or "say" and is related to the Arabic word "sama" meaning "to hear".
Xhosathetha
The word "thetha" can also refer to the act of "discussing, arguing, or pleading" in a legal context.
Yorubasọ
The word "sọ" can also mean 'to say' or 'to utter'.
Zulukhuluma
In some African languages, 'khuluma' also means 'to reveal' or 'to make known'.
Bambaraka kuma
Eweƒo nu
Kinyarwandavuga
Lingalakoloba
Lugandaokwoogera
Sepedibolela
Twi (Akan)kasa

Speak in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicتحدث
The word "تحدث" in Arabic can also mean "to come about" or "to occur."
Hebrewלְדַבֵּר
The word "לְדַבֵּר" is derived from the root "דבר" (dvr), which also means "matter" or "thing."
Pashtoخبرې وکړئ
The Pashto word "خبرې وکړئ" also means "to have a conversation" or "to discuss something."
Arabicتحدث
The word "تحدث" in Arabic can also mean "to come about" or "to occur."

Speak in Western European Languages

Albanianflas
'Flas' can also mean 'tell', 'whisper' or 'explain' in Albanian.
Basquehitz egin
The Basque word "hitz egin" also means "to say" or "to talk".
Catalanparlar
Catalan word "parlar" is also commonly used colloquially to mean "to chat"}
Croatiangovoriti
The word 'govoriti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic 'govoriti' and is related to the Latin 'loqui' and the Greek 'logos' (word).
Danishtale
In Danish, "tale" also means "to count" and "to endure".
Dutchspreken
Spreken derives from the Proto-Germanic word *sprekaną meaning "to speak, utter, or address."
Englishspeak
The word "speak" derives from the Old English word "specan," which can also mean "to converse" or "to tell a story."
Frenchparler
In French, the word "parler" derives from the Latin word "parabolare", meaning "to talk in parables".
Frisiansprekke
Also used as a noun: "speech"
Galicianfalar
The Galician verb "falar" is thought to derive from the Latin word "fabulari" meaning "to converse informally" and "to tell stories".
Germansprechen
The verb 'sprechen' is cognate with the English 'speak' and 'speech,' and shares an origin with 'spray'.
Icelandictala
The word "tala" can also mean "to say" or "to tell".
Irishlabhair
The word "labhair" is also the name of a mythological princess in Irish folklore.
Italianparlare
"Parlare" derives from the Vulgar Latin verb "parabolare," which in turn derives from "parabola," meaning "narrative," and shares a root with the Greek "parabole," meaning "comparison." Thus, the word "parlare" originally meant to speak in parables.
Luxembourgishschwätzen
Maltesetkellem
The verb "tkellem" in Maltese is derived from the Arabic word "kalām" (speech, language), and also means "to converse" or "to have a conversation"
Norwegiansnakke
The Norwegian word "snakke" is derived from the Old Norse word "snekkja", meaning "to talk" or "to chatter".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)falar
The verb 'falar' in Portuguese originated from the Latin word 'fabulari', which means 'to tell stories or chat'.
Scots Gaelicbruidhinn
In Gaelic, the word "bruidhinn" can also refer to a discussion or debate.
Spanishhablar
The Spanish verb "hablar" derives from the Latin "fabulari," meaning "to chat" or "to gossip."
Swedishtala
The word 'tala' also means 'to talk' or 'to make a speech' and is derived from the Old Norse word 'tala', meaning 'to tell' or 'to speak'.
Welshsiarad
The word 'siarad' can also mean 'conversation' or 'discourse'.

Speak in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianгаварыць
In Belarusian, "гаварыць" (speak) is cognate with the Russian "говорить" (speak), Polish "gadać" (talk), and Old Church Slavonic "гъворити" (speak).
Bosniangovori
The word 'govori' also means 'speakers' in Bosnian.
Bulgarianговорете
The word "говорете" (speak) in Bulgarian also has the alternate meaning of "to tell".
Czechmluvit
The verb “mluvit” comes from the Proto-Slavic word *mъlviti, which is related to the Lithuanian “malda” (prayer), the Old Church Slavonic “molitva” (prayer), and the Polish “mówić” (to speak), among others.
Estonianrääkima
The word "rääkima" in Estonian can also mean "to chatter", "to gossip", or "to talk nonsense".
Finnishpuhua
The word 'puhua' also means 'to blow' in Finnish; the word for 'soap bubble' is 'saippuakupla', lit. 'speech bubble-soap', as soap bubbles are 'blown' out of speech.
Hungarianbeszél
"Beszél" is not only a verb in Hungarian, but it can also be an adjective meaning "speaking" or "conversational".
Latvianrunāt
The verb "runāt" in Latvian derives from the Proto-Baltic verb "*runāti", which means "to make a sound" or "to scream".
Lithuaniankalbėti
Kalbeti is cognate with Sanskrit "kalpana" meaning "to think".
Macedonianзборувај
The verb "зборувај" in Macedonian can also mean "to talk", "to converse", or "to chat".
Polishmówić
The word "mówić" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*movъti", which also means "to move".
Romanianvorbi
Vorbi's etymology refers to the Indo-European root *werb-, meaning "to turn, bend, twist".
Russianразговаривать
Derived from the Slavic root ‘gov’ ‘speech’ and so cognate with words of similar root found across different Slavic languages
Serbianговорити
''Говорити'' can also mean ''think'' in Serbian, although it is rarely used in that sense today.
Slovakhovor
The word "hovor" in Slovak can also refer to a colloquial form of language.
Sloveniangovoriti
The word 'govoriti' is cognate with the Old Slavic verb 'gvoriti', which means 'to utter sounds', 'to speak' and 'to make noise'.
Ukrainianговорити
The word "говорити" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *govoriti, meaning "to speak" or "to say."

Speak in South Asian Languages

Bengaliকথা বলতে
"কথা বলতে" in Bengali also means to "promise".
Gujaratiબોલો
The Gujarati word "બોલો" ("speak") also means "to call someone out" or "to ask".
Hindiबोले
The Hindi word "बोले" can also mean "to speak out" or "to make a statement".
Kannadaಮಾತನಾಡಿ
The word "ಮಾತನಾಡಿ" can also refer to "a discourse" or "a lecture" in Kannada.
Malayalamസംസാരിക്കുക
The Malayalam word സംസാരിക്കുക comes from the Proto-Dravidian verb *cam-, meaning 'to call' or 'to utter'.
Marathiबोला
"बोला" (speak) can also mean "a big wave of water" in Marathi.
Nepaliबोल्नुहोस्
The word "बोल्नुहोस्" can also mean "to talk" or "to say something" in Nepali.
Punjabiਬੋਲੋ
"ਬੋਲੋ" (speak) comes from the Sanskrit word "वद" (vada), meaning "to speak, to say"
Sinhala (Sinhalese)කතා කරන්න
Tamilபேசு
The verb "பேசு" ("speak") can also mean "to talk" or "to converse" in Tamil.
Teluguమాట్లాడండి
Urduبولیں

Speak in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)说话
Although the character '说' means 'speak', when it is repeated (as '说话'), it signifies 'conversation'.
Chinese (Traditional)說話
The Chinese character “說話” can also mean “reason” or “logic.”
Japanese話す
話す originally meant 『to spin fibers into yarn』 and was used in reference to the sound of twisting threads.}
Korean말하다
말하다 (malhada) is thought to have originated from the Old Korean word "mal" (말), meaning "to utter" or "to give a voice to."
Mongolianярих
The Mongolian word for "speak", "ярих", derives from the Middle Mongolian "jarqugh," meaning "to announce" or "to declare."
Myanmar (Burmese)စကားပြော

Speak in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianberbicara
The word 'berbicara' in Indonesian can also mean 'to discuss' or 'to talk about'.
Javanesengomong
In Javanese, "ngomong" can refer to both spoken and written communication.
Khmerនិយាយ
The verb និយាយ can also mean “to speak on behalf of” or “to have a meeting”.
Laoເວົ້າ
Malaybersuara
"Bersuara" originally meant "sound" or "noise" but acquired the meaning of "speak" later on.
Thaiพูด
The word "พูด" (speak) in Thai also has the meaning of "to think" or "to utter".
Vietnamesenói
The word "nói" in Vietnamese also means "to talk", "to say", and "to tell".
Filipino (Tagalog)magsalita

Speak in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanidanışmaq
"Danışmaq" sözcüğü, Azericede "sormak, görüşmek, tartışmak" gibi çeşitli anlamlara sahiptir.
Kazakhсөйлеу
Сөйлеу in Kazakh shares its roots with the Turkic word for "voice," "voiceover," or "sound".
Kyrgyzсүйлөө
The word "сүйлөө" in Kyrgyz shares the same root with the verb "сүйүү" "to love". This semantic link is found in many other languages, indicating the close relationship between speaking and expressing affection.
Tajikсухан гуфтан
The word "сухан гуфтан" can also mean "to tell a story" or "to make a speech" in Tajik.
Turkmengürle
Uzbekgapirish
The word Gapirish has also been used historically to mean "to tell someone something".
Uyghurسۆزلەڭ

Speak in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻlelo
'Ōlelo' is not only the Hawaiian word for 'speak' but also refers to the Hawaiian language itself.
Maorikorero
The Maori word "korero" also refers to "meeting" or "negotiation".
Samoantautala
In Samoan, "tautala" also refers to the chiefly orator who delivers speeches with great eloquence and knowledge.
Tagalog (Filipino)magsalita
magsalita can also mean to talk, utter, or express

Speak in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraarsuña
Guaraniñe'ẽ

Speak in International Languages

Esperantoparoli
The original meaning of "paroli" in Italian is "to double the stakes while gambling"
Latinloquere
"Loquere" is the present imperative form of the Latin verb "loqui," meaning "to speak," and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*leǵʰ-," meaning "to collect" or "to gather."

Speak in Others Languages

Greekμιλώ
"Μιλώ" can also refer to the act of reciting or singing, and even to the act of playing a musical instrument.
Hmonghais lus
Hmong word "hais lus" can also mean "to make a confession of someone's misconduct or crime".
Kurdishaxaftin
The word "axaftin" can also refer to the act of reciting or narrating something.
Turkishkonuşmak
The verb 'konuşmak' in Turkish is related to the Persian word 'goosh' meaning 'ear,' suggesting a connection between hearing and speaking.
Xhosathetha
The word "thetha" can also refer to the act of "discussing, arguing, or pleading" in a legal context.
Yiddishרעדן
"רעדן" can be used with "פֿון" and the Yiddish accusative to indicate the language used to speak.
Zulukhuluma
In some African languages, 'khuluma' also means 'to reveal' or 'to make known'.
Assameseকথা কোৱা
Aymaraarsuña
Bhojpuriबोलऽ
Dhivehiވާހަކަ ދެއްކުން
Dogriबोलो
Filipino (Tagalog)magsalita
Guaraniñe'ẽ
Ilocanoagsao
Kriotɔk
Kurdish (Sorani)قسەکردن
Maithiliबाजू
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯋꯥ ꯉꯥꯡꯕ
Mizotawng
Oromodubbachuu
Odia (Oriya)କୁହ
Quechuarimay
Sanskritवदतिब्रू
Tatarсөйләш
Tigrinyaተዛረብ
Tsongavulavula

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