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hablabas

ah-BLAH-bahs/aˈblaβas/

“hablabas” means “you were speaking” in Spanish (an ongoing action in the past).

you were speaking, you used to talk

Also: you would speak
VerbA2regular ar
Latin America
A person with a friendly expression, mouth open as if talking, gesturing with their hands during a conversation.
gerundhablando
past Participlehablado
infinitivehablar

📝 In Action

Tú hablabas mucho con tu abuela cada domingo.

A2

You used to talk a lot with your grandmother every Sunday.

Me di cuenta de que hablabas en sueños.

B1

I realized that you were talking in your sleep.

¿Con quién hablabas cuando entré en la habitación?

A2

Who were you speaking with when I entered the room?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • platicabas (you were chatting)
  • conversabas (you were conversing)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • hablabas en serio – you were being serious
  • hablabas por los codos – you were talking your head off

🔄 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: hablabas

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence describes a past habit?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'fabulari', which meant to chat or tell stories.

First recorded: 12th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: falavas

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'hablabas' formal or informal?

It is used with the 'tú' form, so it is informal. If you were speaking formally to someone, you would use 'hablaba' (usted).