had a small talk

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had a small talk" is correct and usable in written English.
It is often used to describe a brief but pleasant conversation with someone. For example, "We had a small talk while we were waiting in line at the store."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

"I just had a small talk with him but we did not touch the subject right now.

BBC

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

I have had a smaller talk with John Terry: he has also experienced setbacks and it is always nice to talk to someone watching it from the outside and to learn that they have experienced the same.

The Guardian - Sport

Have a small talk in the lobby before the movie, and ask her if she would like popcorn or a drink.

WikiHow

Their description of him stated that he had a "small, hardly noticeable mustache, talks through his nose and cannot pronounce the letter S properly". Back again in England, Sir Winston stood again for Parliament from Oldham and this time he won and took his seat in the House of Commons for the first time on Jan . 23 , 1901

The New York Times

Most of the talks had a small diversion into microservices or mentioned fullstack responsibility to justify their inclusion but really this conference was about JavaScript and Node.

The Guardian

Hala Madrid!" Earlier in the summer, Guardian Unlimited had made no ripples whatsoever with a couple of exclusives of our own, breaking the news that Beckham preferred Real moments after everyone in the entire world reported Barcelona had had a bid accepted, and securing a Small Talk with Ronaldo.

The Guardian - Sport

Any PR material you see saying it has a small footprint is talking about a different device.

TechCrunch

Pat wears a football jersey, and says the wrong thing, then neither of them has any small talk.

The Guardian - Books

I don't think they would just have fast forwarded 10 years … At the end of the first season she had just launched her eBay store … and I think it would have been having a small team, and maybe talking to investors for the first time.

Huffington Post

Adrian, who is just learning to talk, has a small vocabulary that gives a glimpse of the variety of foods they eat: nut, pizza, butter, milk and cookie.

Huffington Post

Mr. Sanders has a small amount of savings, and Mr. Whetsel talked to him about putting some portion into higher-yielding certificates of deposit or a money-market account.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had a small talk" to describe brief, informal conversations, such as those you might have with acquaintances or strangers.

Common error

Avoid using "had a small talk" when you actually engaged in a meaningful or in-depth discussion. "Small talk" implies a light, superficial exchange.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had a small talk" functions as a narrative expression describing a brief, casual interaction. Ludwig confirms its correctness, indicating it is a standard way to describe a light conversation.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Wiki

20%

Science

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "had a small talk" is a grammatically correct and common way to describe a brief, informal conversation. Ludwig confirms its validity, and the examples provided show its usage across various contexts, particularly in news and media. It's important to use this phrase when describing light, superficial exchanges, as opposed to deep or meaningful discussions. Alternatives include "engaged in light conversation" or "had a brief chat".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

made small talk

A more direct and common synonym.

had a little conversation

Uses "little" instead of "small" to convey a similar meaning.

had a brief chat

Substitutes "talk" with "chat" and "small" with "brief", both emphasizing brevity.

had a quick conversation

Replaces "small" with "quick", highlighting the short duration.

chatted briefly

Combines "chat" and "briefly" for a concise expression of a short conversation.

engaged in light conversation

Replaces "talk" with "conversation" and adds "light" to emphasize the casual nature.

had a casual discussion

Replaces "talk" with "discussion" and adds "casual" to emphasize the informal setting.

exchanged pleasantries

More formal and emphasizes the exchange of polite remarks.

exchanged a few words

Highlights the exchange of minimal communication.

passed a few words

Emphasizes the minimal amount of communication.

FAQs

What does "had a small talk" mean?

It means to have a brief and casual conversation, usually about unimportant topics.

What's the difference between "had a small talk" and "had a long discussion"?

"Had a small talk" refers to a short, informal conversation, while "had a long discussion" implies a more in-depth and extended conversation.

What can I say instead of "had a small talk"?

You can use alternatives like "engaged in light conversation", "had a brief chat", or "made small talk".

Is it appropriate to "have a small talk" in a formal setting?

It depends on the setting and the people involved. In some formal settings, a brief exchange of pleasantries or "exchanged pleasantries" might be acceptable as an icebreaker.