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hablado

/ah-BLAH-doh/

spoken

A close-up illustration of a mouth with colorful sound waves moving away, symbolizing that words have been spoken and the action is complete.

As a past participle, hablado means 'spoken' (as in, the action has been completed).

hablado(Past Participle)

A1

spoken

?

Used with the verb 'haber' (to have)

Also:

talked

?

Used with the verb 'haber' (to have)

📝 In Action

He hablado con mi madre esta mañana.

A2

I have spoken with my mom this morning.

¿Has hablado ya con el profesor?

A2

Have you already talked to the professor?

Nunca habíamos hablado de eso.

B1

We had never spoken about that.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • dicho (said/told)
  • conversado (conversed)

Common Collocations

  • haber hablado – to have spoken
  • mal hablado – foul-mouthed (literally 'badly spoken')

💡 Grammar Points

The 'Done' Form of 'Hablar'

Think of 'hablado' as the '-ed' or '-en' form of 'to speak' in English (like 'talked' or 'spoken'). It teams up with the verb 'haber' to form tenses that describe completed actions, like 'I have spoken' (He hablado).

It Never Changes Here

When used with 'haber' to form a tense, 'hablado' always stays the same. It doesn't matter who is speaking; it's always 'hablado'. For example: 'Yo he hablado', 'Ella ha hablado', 'Ellos han hablado'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing it up with the Preterite

Mistake: "Yo hablado con él ayer."

Correction: Yo hablé con él ayer. OR Yo he hablado con él hoy. 'Hablado' needs a helper verb like 'he', 'has', 'ha', etc. to work.

⭐ Usage Tips

Connecting Past to Present

Use 'he hablado', 'has hablado', etc., to talk about past actions that are still relevant or happened very recently. It's like saying, 'This happened, and it still matters now.'

A simple illustration showing two cartoon figures communicating face-to-face, with sound waves clearly flowing from one person's mouth to the other's ear, representing spoken language.

When used as an adjective, hablado means 'spoken,' often referring to oral language, like 'spoken language.'

hablado(Adjective)

mB1

spoken

?

e.g., spoken language

Also:

oral

?

e.g., an oral tradition

📝 In Action

El español hablado en Cuba es muy rápido.

B1

The spoken Spanish in Cuba is very fast.

Prefiero la comunicación hablada a los mensajes de texto.

B2

I prefer spoken communication to text messages.

Los cuentos eran parte de una tradición hablada.

B2

The stories were part of an oral tradition.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • oral (oral)
  • verbal (verbal)

Antonyms

  • escrito (written)

Common Collocations

  • lenguaje hablado – spoken language
  • español hablado – spoken Spanish

💡 Grammar Points

A Word for Describing Things

Here, 'hablado' acts as a describing word (an adjective). This means it has to match the thing it's describing in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).

Matching the Noun

See how it changes: 'el idioma hablado' (the spoken language, masculine), 'la tradición hablada' (the spoken tradition, feminine), 'los dialectos hablados' (the spoken dialects, plural).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Forgetting to Match

Mistake: "La lengua hablado en México es español."

Correction: La lengua hablada en México es español. Because 'lengua' is feminine, the describing word needs to end in '-a'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Contrast with 'Escrito'

A very common way to use 'hablado' as an adjective is to contrast it with 'escrito' (written). For example, 'El lenguaje hablado es más informal que el escrito.'

An illustration of a person whose speech is represented by three different types of sound waves—jagged red, smooth blue, and wavy yellow—to symbolize different manners or styles of speaking.

As a noun, el hablado refers to the specific manner or style, or 'way of speaking,' a person uses.

hablado(Noun)

mB2

way of speaking

?

manner or style of speech

Also:

speech

?

referring to a dialect or accent

,

accent

?

regional way of speaking

📝 In Action

Tiene el hablado típico de los argentinos.

B2

He has the typical way of speaking of Argentinians.

Reconocí su hablado andaluz inmediatamente.

C1

I recognized his Andalusian accent immediately.

Su hablado es muy educado y formal.

B2

His way of speaking is very polite and formal.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • acento (accent)
  • habla (speech)
  • dialecto (dialect)

Common Collocations

  • un hablado particular – a particular way of speaking
  • el hablado de la región – the region's speech/accent

💡 Grammar Points

Referring to 'Speech' as a Thing

In this use, 'hablado' is a noun—it's a thing you can describe. It refers to a person's specific style of speech, their accent, or their dialect. It's always masculine: 'el hablado'.

⭐ Usage Tips

More than just an accent

While it can mean 'accent,' 'hablado' often includes more, like word choice and rhythm. It's a great word to describe the overall flavor of someone's speech.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: hablado

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'hablado' to describe a noun (as an adjective)?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

hablar(to speak, to talk) - verb
habla(speech, talk) - noun
hablante(speaker) - noun/adjective
hablador(talkative, chatterbox) - adjective/noun

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'hablado' and 'hablada'?

Great question! 'Hablado' is the default form. You use 'hablada' only when it's acting as a describing word (an adjective) for a feminine noun. For example, 'el idioma hablado' (the spoken language) but 'la lengua hablada' (the spoken tongue/language).

Can I say 'Estoy hablado' like I say 'Estoy cansado'?

No, that's a common point of confusion. While both are past participles, 'hablado' doesn't work with 'estar' to describe a state. To say 'I am speaking', you use a different form: 'Estoy hablando'. To say 'I have spoken', you use 'He hablado'.