Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| تَكَلَّمَ | takallama |
| تَحَدَّثَ | taḥaddaṯa |
The Arabic language uses different verbs depending on whether you are describing the general act of using speech or a more structured form of speaking. You can use تَكَلَّمَ to refer to the general act of speaking or using speech. If you are referring to the substance of what is being said, such as words or speech itself, the noun كَلَام is used. Other related terms include مُحَادَثَة for a conversation and مُحَاضَرَة for a lecture.
Which one should you use?
تَكَلَّمَ is a neutral, general term for the act of speaking or using speech. In contrast, تَحَدَّثَ often implies a more formal or continuous act of conversing or delivering a speech, such as engaging in a structured discussion.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Egyptian dialect, the word دردشة is commonly used to represent chatting or talking.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The present tense form of تَكَلَّمَ is يَتَكَلَّمُ (he talks/speaks). The present tense form of تَحَدَّثَ is يَتَحَدَّثُ (he talks/converses).
How do you pronounce it?
takallama
Did you know?
- The Egyptian word for chatting, دردشة, is an onomatopoeia that mimics the sound of a rhythmic, light conversation.
- In certain classical texts, the act of talking تَكَلَّمَ is used to describe the 'Speech of God', which is considered an eternal attribute rather than a physical action of the mouth.
- The word for 'lecture', مُحَاضَرَة, shares a root with the word for 'presence' or 'attending', implying that a lecture is not just about talking but about being present in a specific place.
Examples in context
- أنا أرغب في التحدث إليكI would like to talk to you.
- نحكي بكرةLet's talk tomorrow.
- لندردش بعد العملLet's chat after work.
- تَكَلَّمَ الرَّجُلُ بِصَوْتٍ عَالٍ.takallama al-rajulu bi-sawtin 'alin.The man talked in a loud voice.
Example conversation
Omar and Sarah meet at a cafe.
- عمر Omarأَهلاً سارة، هَلْ يُمْكِنُنا أَنْ نَتَكَلَّمَ؟Ahlan Sarah, hal yumkinuna an natakallama?Hello Sarah, can we talk?
- سارة Saraنَعَم يا عُمَر، عَمَّا ماذا تُريدُ أَنْ تَتَكَلَّمَ؟Na'am ya Omar, amma madha turidu an tatakallama?Yes Omar, what do you want to talk about?
- عمر Omarأُريدُ أَنْ أَتَكَلَّمَ عَنِ العَطْلَةِ.Uridu an atakallama ani al-utlah.I want to talk about the holiday.
- سارة Saraحَسَناً، لِنَتَكَلَّمَ في ذَلِكَ الآنَ.Hasanan, linatakallama fi dhalika al-an.Okay, let's talk about that now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “talk” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
