hablé
ah-BLEH (stress on the last syllable)
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Ayer hablé con mi madre por teléfono.
A1Yesterday I spoke with my mother on the phone.
Hablé con el profesor después de la clase.
A1I talked with the teacher after the class.
Cuando me preguntó, yo hablé la verdad.
A2When he asked me, I spoke the truth.
💡 Grammar Points
Action Finished
Use 'hablé' (the preterite tense) when the action of speaking began and ended cleanly in the past, often with a specific time frame like 'yesterday' or 'last week'.
The Accent Mark
The accent mark on the 'é' is critical! It tells you that the stress falls on the last syllable and signals that the action is a completed past event. Without it ('hable'), it means 'I speak' in a different mood (subjunctive).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Preterite vs. Imperfect
Mistake: "Usando 'Yo hablaba con el doctor ayer.' (I used to speak with the doctor yesterday.)"
Correction: Use 'Yo hablé con el doctor ayer.' (I spoke with the doctor yesterday.) 'Hablaba' is for ongoing or habitual past actions, not single events.
⭐ Usage Tips
Focus on the 'Event'
If you can answer 'When did this conversation start and end?', use 'hablé'. If you are describing what was happening while something else occurred, you would use 'hablaba'.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: hablé
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'hablé'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'hablé' have an accent mark?
The accent mark is there to show you exactly where to put the vocal stress (the last syllable, 'lé'). In all regular -AR verbs in the 'yo' preterite form, the stress always falls on the last vowel, and it must be marked with an accent.
How do I know if 'hablamos' means 'we spoke' or 'we speak'?
That is the one tricky part of the verb 'hablar'! The 'nosotros' (we) forms are identical in the present tense ('we speak') and the preterite tense ('we spoke'). You must rely entirely on the context or surrounding words, like 'ayer' (yesterday) or 'siempre' (always).