Word Choice – Difference Between ‘Talk to’ and ‘Talk with’

Using speak, tell, say, and talk is a very common problem for ELL.

@Siddhartha and @Em1 gave great answers, so let me quickly list only those aspects not mentioned by them.

So, I have some meaning to convey. How do I know which word to use?

• Ability — if it's about ability, "talk" is preferred: "cats can't talk", "when I'm drunk I lose my ability to talk". Note that "speak" is allowed but is less popular;
• Languages — use "speak": "I speak English";
• Action — covered in answers above; both words can be used; "speak" is mostly about single-direction, while "talk" usually refers a conversation (and is less formal);
• Express information — use "say" or "tell": "I told her that I love her". Here, "I love her" is the information being expressed. "Say" can also be used, but it connotates a single-time action. Compare: "I said that the discussion is over and hung up the phone."

Consider this sentence:

I can see they are talking, but I don't know what they are saying.

Here, you see an action, but you don't know or don't understand the meaning of the information others are exchanging.

• Wide topic, narrow topic:
  • use "say" or "tell" if the topic is narrow or it's about a small piece of information: "I told her there is a party tonight";
  • use "talk about" or "speak about" when the topic is wide: "We are speaking about history". There's also an idiomatic construct, "talk politics" that omits "about".
• Conversing during an extended period of time: use "talk about" or "speak about", as above;
• Imperative usually follows the rules above, but due to an extended popularity, here's a brief:
  • Extended time or dialogue — "Talk to me."
  • Long monologue — "Tell me about your problem."
  • Short monologue — "Say something!"
  • Requesting a certain attribute of speaking process — "Speak slowly please."

The preposition within has nothing to do with the ordinary sense of the preposition with = “accompanying, alongside, by means of, etc.”. Within means “inside” in spatial, temporal and figurative senses.

The hoard was discovered deep within the mound.
You must respond to this communication within thirty days.
They are within their rights in refusing to be interviewed.

Consequently, within is not a valid translation of German in in this context. However, English does support both German uses: you may use either with for mit or in for in.

With this option ...
In this option ...

• HISTORICAL NOTE, for those who wonder why the compound with + in has this meaning:

  Old English wið (cognate with German wider) originally meant “against, by, back from”, and the modern sense of with was expressed by mid (cognate with German mit). In the later part of the Old English period, however, northeast England was occupied and to some extent settled by speakers of Old Norse dialects, and over the next centuries (down into the Middle English period) many Old Norse words replaced the corresponding Old English words. For instance, they and are are of ON origin. Old Norse við, a cognate of with and wider, had approximately the sense of mid and mit, and under its influence, with shifted to the modern sense. However, the old sense lingered in established compounds such as withstand (stand against), withhold (hold from), withdraw (draw away from)—and within (against or by the inside).