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A simple illustration showing a boy and a girl sitting opposite each other on a park bench, engaged in conversation, with subtle visual lines indicating sound flowing between them.

hablaron

ah-BLAH-rohn

VerbA1regular ar
they spoke?completed past action,they talked?completed past action
Also:you (plural, formal/Latin America) spoke?referring to 'ustedes'

Quick Reference

past Participlehablado
infinitivehablar
gerundhablando

📝 In Action

Ellos hablaron con el jefe por una hora.

A1

They spoke with the boss for an hour.

¿Qué les dijeron? Ustedes hablaron mucho.

A2

What did they tell you? You all talked a lot.

Mis vecinos hablaron de la fiesta ruidosa.

A1

My neighbors talked about the noisy party.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • hablaron seriamente – they spoke seriously
  • hablaron de negocios – they talked about business

💡 Grammar Points

Past Tense for Completed Actions

'Hablaron' is used to describe an action of speaking that started and finished completely at a specific point in the past (like yesterday or last week).

The 'They/You All' Form

This form uses the 'ellos/ellas/ustedes' ending. Remember: 'ellos' (they), 'ellas' (they, female), and 'ustedes' (you all) all share this same verb form.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing Past Tenses

Mistake: "Using 'hablaban' instead of 'hablaron' when describing a single, completed event."

Correction: 'Hablaron' is for one finished event ('They spoke at 5 PM'). 'Hablaban' is for ongoing or repeated habits in the past ('They used to speak every day').

⭐ Usage Tips

Regular -AR Pattern

Since 'hablar' is a regular -AR verb, you can apply the same 'aron' ending to other regular -AR verbs in the past tense, like 'compraron' (they bought) or 'estudiaron' (they studied).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

vosotroshabláis
él/ella/ustedhabla
túhablas
yohablo
nosotroshablamos
ellos/ellas/ustedeshablan

preterite

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

imperfect

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

subjunctive

present

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

imperfect

vosotroshablarais
él/ella/ustedhablara
túhablaras
yohablara
nosotroshabláramos
ellos/ellas/ustedeshablaran
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: hablaron

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'hablaron' for a single, completed past action?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

hablar(to speak/to talk) - verb
la habla(speech) - noun
hablador(talkative (person)) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

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

'Hablaron' (preterite tense) means 'they spoke' and refers to a single event that finished, like 'They spoke at the meeting.' 'Hablaban' (imperfect tense) means 'they were speaking' or 'they used to speak,' referring to an ongoing action or a past habit.

Can 'hablaron' mean 'you spoke'?

Yes! If you are talking to a group of people (formal 'you all' in Spain, or standard 'you all' in Latin America), you use 'ustedes' which takes the 'hablaron' form. So, 'Ustedes hablaron con el jefe' means 'You all spoke with the boss.'