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hablaban

ah-BLAH-bahnaˈβlaβan

“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

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

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

Present Subjunctive

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

Indicative

Preterite

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

Imperfect

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

Present

yohablo
túhablas
él/ella/ustedhabla
nosotroshablamos
vosotroshabláis
ellos/ellas/ustedeshablan
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').