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Speak English.
Speak in English.

Which one is correct?

Please tell me. I don't know how to define them. I don't know which sentence is correct.

Maulik V
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I don't know who I am.
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3 Answers3

3

It's "Speak English". E.g "Will I be ok with the language when I go to The Netherlands. Yes, they all speak English.".

"Speak in English" is grammatically correct, but you'll stand out as not being a native speaker. However, "Write in English" is preferred over "Write English"

Steve Ives
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  • @MaulikV - I will bow to your superior English skills and concede you must be right. From now on I will say 'Speak in (language)'. I only have 48 years as a native English speaker so thanks for correcting me and marking down my post. – Steve Ives Jul 06 '15 at 10:37
  • not at all... I stand nowhere to the natives. It's just that I have heard it, read it, and practiced it too commonly. My downvote is solely as the answer says 'it's this' which means the other thing is incorrect. No bitter note at all! – Maulik V Jul 06 '15 at 10:38
  • Ok - I didn't mean that the other answer is wrong and you will be understood if you say 'Speak in English', but you'll sound much more natural if you say 'Speak English', whether as a request "Can you speak English, please?" or a statement "He speaks English", "They speak English", "They are speaking English" etc. – Steve Ives Jul 06 '15 at 10:43
  • You might use "in" with a language as follows : "The book is written in English", "The instructions are in English", "The interview will be in English". – Steve Ives Jul 06 '15 at 10:46
  • True that, kindly mention the same in this answer. And, I retract the vote.... :) – Maulik V Jul 06 '15 at 10:46
  • @MaulikV Apologies if I sounded harsh, but too many times have my answers been marked down by non-native speakers who insist that what they have learnt from a book is more correct than how the English actually speak. All I takes is a comment, asking how what they have been taught compares to actual, everyday use. E.g. French text books tell you that the French for "I do not know" is "Je ne sais pas', which is technically correct but the French pronounce it as 'Je'n sais pas.' A little local knowledge can work wonders. – Steve Ives Jul 06 '15 at 10:52
  • No need to regret, sir. I'm very keen in learning things. Especially as far as this language is concerned, I'm quite passionate for it. This answer should have more detail so that a person like me understands what exactly you want to say. For instance, the other answer that you deleted should be here, with this answer as an 'additoinal' but important detail! :) – Maulik V Jul 06 '15 at 10:55
  • The answer I deleted was meant to be a comment; about using "in" for "written in", "interview will be in" etc. – Steve Ives Jul 06 '15 at 10:58
  • This is it! Now it is clear. Surprisingly, in InE, you'd find the latter one more commonly used. And yes, vote retracted! :) – Maulik V Jul 06 '15 at 10:59
3

Both are okay. ELU link for the same question is here (thanks v kumar)

However, the nuance I see is someone speaks English represents a statement as in...

He speaks English

And, someone, speak in English looks more like an advice, suggestion or the like. As in...

Hey, speak in English.

But again, as ELU site states, both are practically fine.

Note: Indian English is fine with 'Speak in [any language]'.

Community
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Maulik V
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I speak English and German. But, at home I usually speak "in English" with my kids as they don't know German very well. I think I should get my kids more books written "in English".

The first sentence indicates my "competency", and the second one my "preference".

Russie
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