sprechen
to speak
To have and use the ability to articulate sounds, words, and sentences; to talk.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Schock konnte er eine Weile nicht sprechen.
After the shock, he couldn't speak for a while.
sprechen
to speak
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
sprechen mit
to speak with
To have a conversation or discussion with one or more people.
EXAMPLE
Ich muss nachher noch mit meiner Chefin sprechen.
I still need to speak with my boss later.
sprechen
to speak
To know and be able to use a particular language.
EXAMPLE
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
Do you speak English?
sprechen über
to speak about
To discuss a specific topic in a conversation.
EXAMPLE
Lass uns nicht immer über die Arbeit sprechen.
Let's not always speak about work.
für sich sprechen
to speak for itself
To be so clear or obvious that no further explanation is needed.
EXAMPLE
Die beeindruckenden Verkaufszahlen sprechen für sich.
The impressive sales figures speak for themselves.
gut/schlecht zu sprechen sein auf
to think well/poorly of
To have a positive or negative opinion of someone; to be well-disposed or ill-disposed toward someone.
EXAMPLE
Seit dem Vorfall ist sie nicht mehr gut auf ihn zu sprechen.
Since the incident, she no longer thinks well of him.
ein Urteil sprechen
to deliver a verdict
To announce a judicial decision in a formal, legal context.
EXAMPLE
Das Gericht wird nächste Woche das Urteil sprechen.
The court will deliver the verdict next week.
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'sprechen' (to speak) is the root of many important words related to communication. These include 'die Sprache' (the language; the system one speaks) and 'der Spruch' (a short, often wise saying).
EXAMPLE
Welche Sprachen sprichst du?
Which languages do you speak?
Important prepositions
The meaning of 'sprechen' (to speak) changes depending on the preposition. You speak 'mit' (with) a person (dative), but 'über' (about) a topic (accusative).
EXAMPLE
Ich spreche mit meinem Freund.
I speak with my friend.
Perfect tense with 'haben'
The perfect tense of 'sprechen' (to speak) is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'haben' (to have). The past participle is 'gesprochen' (spoken).
EXAMPLE
Wir haben lange über die Zukunft gesprochen.
We spoke for a long time about the future.
Typical collocations
When talking about languages, 'sprechen' (to speak) is often combined with adverbs that describe the level. Typical examples are 'fließend sprechen' (to speak fluently), 'gut sprechen' (to speak well), or 'ein bisschen sprechen' (to speak a little).
EXAMPLE
Er spricht fließend Spanisch.
He speaks Spanish fluently.
Fixed expression
The expression 'für sich sprechen' (to speak for itself) is often used for things that are so clear that they need no comment. Typical subjects are 'die Zahlen' (the figures/numbers), 'die Ergebnisse' (the results), or 'die Fakten' (the facts).
EXAMPLE
Die Ergebnisse der Studie sprechen für sich.
The results of the study speak for themselves.
Sentence structure with 'auf'
In the expression 'gut/schlecht auf jemanden zu sprechen sein' (to think well/poorly of someone), the person being referred to is always in the accusative after the preposition 'auf'.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Streit ist er nicht gut auf seinen Nachbarn zu sprechen.
After the argument, he doesn't think well of his neighbor.
Context clue
The combination 'ein Urteil sprechen' (to deliver a verdict) belongs to the formal language of the justice system. This phrasing is not used in everyday speech.
EXAMPLE
Der Richter wird morgen das Urteil sprechen.
The judge will deliver the verdict tomorrow.
Compare with
sprechen vs reden
to talk
Here, reden refers to the current activity: someone is expressing themselves orally and communicating. Sprechen, by contrast, is also used for the lasting ability to know a particular language. Sprechen is therefore the appropriate word when describing language skills.
sprechen
Die neuen Kollegen sprechen schon sehr gut Deutsch.
The new colleagues already speak German very well.
reden
In der Pause reden die neuen Kollegen gerade Deutsch miteinander.
During the break, the new colleagues are talking to each other in German.
In real life
Loading video examples...