speak

briefly

The doctor spoke briefly with us about the test results before leaving.

hardly

My grandfather hardly speaks about his childhood, so we know very little about it.

refuse to

The witness refused to speak until her lawyer arrived at the courthouse.

dare (to)

She was so nervous that she didn't dare speak during the entire meeting.

about, to

I spoke to my teacher about my exam results yesterday.

with

I need to speak with the manager about my schedule before Friday.

be on speaking terms (with sb)

My parents weren't on speaking terms for several weeks after their disagreement.

not be speaking (to sb)

My sister and I weren't speaking for three months after that argument.

clearly

The teacher spoke clearly during the lesson so all the students could understand the new grammar rules.

eloquently, movingly

The activist spoke movingly about her experience living in poverty.

be able/unable to, can/could (hardly)

After hearing the bad news, he was unable to speak for several minutes.

begin to, open your mouth to

He began to speak about his travel plans but suddenly stopped.

dare not, not trust yourself to

She was so nervous during the interview that she didn't dare speak.

hear sb

I heard her speak fluent Spanish at the international conference yesterday.

about, against

She spoke about her experience working as a nurse during the pandemic.

for

My sister often speaks for our family when we visit our relatives abroad.

in favour of

The environmental group spoke in favour of closing the old factory.

on

The professor spoke on climate change at the international conference last month.

on behalf of

The company director spoke on behalf of all the employees during the meeting.

of

My teacher always speaks highly of students who work hard and participate in class.

to

The teacher spoke to the class about the importance of reading every day.

fluently, well

My grandmother speaks French well, even though she hasn't lived in Paris for many years.

learn to

My daughter learned to speak English when she started school last year.

in

The teacher asked all students to speak in English during class discussions.