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hablaban

ah-BLAH-bahn/aˈβlaβan/

“hablaban” means “they were speaking” in Spanish (an ongoing action in the past).

they were speaking, they used to talk

Also: you all were speaking, they would talk
VerbA2regular ar
Latin America
Two people sitting on a park bench engaged in a friendly conversation.
gerundhablando
past Participlehablado
infinitivehablar

📝 In Action

Ellos hablaban mientras yo cocinaba.

A2

They were talking while I was cooking.

Mis abuelos hablaban italiano en casa.

A2

My grandparents used to speak Italian at home.

Ustedes hablaban muy rápido ayer.

B1

You all were speaking very fast yesterday.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • hablaban de – they were talking about
  • hablaban en serio – they were being serious

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedeshablaran
yohablara
túhablaras
vosotroshablarais
nosotroshabláramos
él/ella/ustedhablara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedeshablen
yohable
túhables
vosotroshabléis
nosotroshablemos
él/ella/ustedhable

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedeshablaron
yohablé
túhablaste
vosotroshablasteis
nosotroshablamos
él/ella/ustedhabló

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedeshablaban
yohablaba
túhablabas
vosotroshablabais
nosotroshablábamos
él/ella/ustedhablaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedeshablan
yohablo
túhablas
vosotroshabláis
nosotroshablamos
él/ella/ustedhabla
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: hablaban

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence means 'They used to talk every day'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
hablar(to talk) — Verb
habla(speech) — Noun
hablador(talkative) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Old Spanish word 'fablar', which evolved from the Latin 'fabulari', meaning to chat or tell stories.

First recorded: 12th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: falavamEnglish: fable (related via 'fable' or 'fabulous')

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'hablaban' always mean 'they'?

Not always! It can mean 'they' (men/women) or 'you all' (ustedes).

What is the difference between 'hablaban' and 'hablaron'?

Think of 'hablaban' as a video of an ongoing action ('they were talking') and 'hablaron' as a snapshot of a completed action ('they talked').