Phrasal verb
talk about sb/sth
Definition
phrasal verb. To say things about a particular subject or person.
phrasal verb. A transitive prepositional verb meaning to discuss a particular subject, person, or situation.
Examples
“Let's talk about the plan for the weekend.”
“At the meeting, they will talk about the new budget for next year.”
“The novel talks about the profound psychological impact of war on soldiers returning to a world they no longer recognize.”
Examples
simple
“Let's talk about the plan for the weekend.”
contextual
“At the meeting, they will talk about the new budget for next year.”
complex
“The novel talks about the profound psychological impact of war on soldiers returning to a world they no longer recognize.”
Usage
The object following 'about' is the topic of the conversation.
Teaching tip
Contrast with 'talk to' (specifies the listener) and 'talk with' (implies a two-way conversation); 'talk about' specifies the topic.
Pitfall
We talked the movie.
We talked about the movie.
The preposition 'about' is required to introduce the topic of the conversation.
Phrasal verb
Particles
about
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
talk + about + object