Preterite vs. Imperfect

Use 'hablé' (the preterite tense) when the action of speaking began and ended cleanly in the past, often with a specific time frame like 'yesterday' or 'last week'.

Action Finished

The accent mark on the 'é' is critical! It tells you that the stress falls on the last syllable and signals that the action is a completed past event. Without it ('hable'), it means 'I speak' in a different mood (subjunctive).

The Accent Mark

If you can answer 'When did this conversation start and end?', use 'hablé'. If you are describing what was happening while something else occurred, you would use 'hablaba'.

Focus on the 'Event'

Extremely common. This is the basic way to say 'I spoke' or 'I talked' when referring to a single, completed event in the past.

'Hablé' is the 'yo' (I) form of the verb 'hablar' in the past tense (preterite), meaning 'I spoke' or 'I talked' as a single, completed action. Learn its usage, accent rule, and full conjugation.

hablé

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations