Phrasal verb: speak to/with

[tung quoc]

Dear teachers,

Please tell me the difference btw:

1. I spoke to him only yesterday.
2. I spoke with him only yesterday.

Is it right if I write:

I was speaking to him only yesterday.

Thanks
Quoc

[Yankee]

Hi Quoc

You can use either to or with.

[tung quoc]

Daer teacher,

I spoke to/with him only yesterday.

Is it right if I say:

to: Only I who spoke
with: have conversation btw me and him.

Or they're the same meaning?
If I use was speaking, is it right? If yes, what is the difference? My teacher wrote was speaking on the blackboard.

Quoc

[Yankee]

[tung quoc]

Dear teacher,

You wrote:

Both speak with and speak to mean "have a conversation (with somebody)". However, "speak to" could also be a situation where one person did most/all of the talking.

So, please tell me how to distinguish :

speak to vs talk to
speak with vs talk with

Please give me examples for illustration.
(I read your reply and also that of Sir Alan but now I can't understand).

Best regards
Tung Quoc

[Yankee]

Hi Quoc

If I call someone, his secretary answers the phone and I say to the secretary "May I speak to John Smith, please?" then I want to have a conversation with John Smith.

If someone says "I spoke to him in no uncertain terms about his being late every day", then I can imagine a fairly one-sided conversation. A boss may have told an employee that his lack of punctuality was absolutely unacceptable and the employee may have said very little during the conversation.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English