Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[mings]

Is there any diffference between " talk with", "talk to" and "talk at".

Please help. ThanK.

[iitimone7]

i'd like to talk to you in my office after the meeting - usually means that the person who made the statement will do all of the talking and the other person should stand there and listen.

i'd like to talk with you in my office after the meeting - a more polite way to say that you and another person will have an equal conversation after the meeting.

i'd like to talk at you in my office after the meeting - in this case, talk at does not work...most of the time , in USA anway, we don't use that phrase.

let me try another sentence...my mother-in-law is so crazy that she often talks at the wall. it's a one-sided conversation because the wall does not talk back, but it is still awkward to say.

does another teacher have any other ideas? iitimone7

[mings]

Dear teacher,
Your explanation is not only easily understandable but also funny. I like it.
Thank you for your kind help.

[iitimone7]

...you're most kind!! and you're welcome for the help. iitimone7

[bud]

Nice answer, Iitimone! I'll add that talk at is used sometimes to describe a situation where someone is talking to you and you don't want to listen. They continue talking anyway, and unlike Iitimone's example for talk to, you have no responsibility to listen.

The theme song to the movie "Midnight Cowboy" was "Everybody's Talkin' at Me."

Everybody's talkin' at me
I don't hear a word they're sayin'
...