What's the difference between 'speak' and 'talk'?

• "She spoke at the conference."
• "Can I speak to the manager?"
• "Do you speak French?"

• "We need to talk."
• "Can we talk about this later?"
• "They talked for hours."

Specific differences:

Languages: Always "speak" — "Do you speak Spanish?" not "Do you talk Spanish?" ✗

Public address: "Speak at a meeting" — formal delivery to an audience.

Private conversation: "Talk" often implies mutual exchange — "talk to someone," "have a talk."

On the phone: Both work. "Can I speak to Alex?" (more formal) / "Can I talk to Alex?" (more casual)

• "The president spoke to the nation." ✓ (formal address)
• "They talked all night." ✓ (conversation)

Tags: grammar, vocabulary, speak vs talk, formality