Hi @Constance_Fang @Fiona and the ChinesePod team, my question is this:
Hello, I have a question about the use of the following words: 说话， 讲，谈，说 (and also other synonyms). I am quite confused when should I use which.
Thank you!
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Me too! Perhaps this could become a new lesson?
All of these 4 words have same meaning in Chinese, speak/say, but different in using, for example:
说 and 说话， usually used in daily communication;
他说：“你吃饭了吗？”------He says," did you have breakfast/ lunch/dinner?’
说话 served as a noun;sometimes, also served as a verb.
我说话你听到了吗？------Did you hear what I said?
when someone is a little impatient or angry, but the other keep silent, he will say,“你说话啊！”------ Say something /answer my question
谈 and 讲， usually used in a formal way, speech or news，
谈 has the meaning of “share idea”;
讲 is more like to “teach”.
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Thank you a lot!
That really helped me! 
I think you should be able to tell the difference if using these words in a sentence.
- 他很爱说话 correct
- 他很爱讲话 correct
- 他很爱谈 incorrect as it is incomplete (object is missing)
- 他很爱说 incorrect as it is incomplete (object is missing)
- 他说话诗歌的时候侃侃而谈 incorrect
- 他讲话诗歌的时候侃侃而谈 incorrect
- 他说诗歌的时候侃侃而谈 grammatically correct but not often used like that
- 他谈诗歌的时候侃侃而谈 correct
I would say 说话 translates more precisely to speaking, such as "Can I speak up/say something? (我可以说话吗？)
讲 is more like telling something to someone, like “I’m telling you / I wanna tell you one thing " (我跟你讲 / 我要跟你讲一件事”.)
On the other hand I heard 谈 more in the context of discussion, such as discussing business or discussing important matters (of the heart for example) (谈生意 / 谈心谈话）
Lastly, 说 is simply" speak / say", like in “You say something” (你说）.
Of course depending on the context they can each be used very differently so a lesson on this with some examples might indeed be good.