habló
“habló” means “he spoke” in Spanish (past completed action).
he spoke, she spoke, you spokeAlso: it spoke
📝 In Action
Mi hermano habló con el director ayer.
A1My brother spoke with the director yesterday.
¿Qué dijo? Ella solo habló por cinco minutos y se fue.
A2What did she say? She only spoke for five minutes and left.
Usted no habló durante la reunión, ¿está todo bien?
B1You didn't speak during the meeting, is everything alright?
Word Connections
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: habló
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'habló'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family
📚 Etymology
Comes from the verb 'hablar,' which evolved from the Latin word *fabulari*, meaning 'to converse' or 'to talk fabulously (like telling stories).' The 'f' sound often changed to an 'h' sound in Spanish.
First recorded: Around the 10th or 11th century (the infinitive form)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if 'habló' means 'he spoke,' 'she spoke,' or 'you spoke (usted)?'
You need to look at the context of the sentence. Since Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun, you have to find out who the conversation is about. If the subject is not mentioned, assume it refers to the person or thing last talked about.
Why does 'habló' have an accent mark?
The accent mark is there to make sure you stress the last syllable (a-BLOH). In Spanish, if a verb ends in a vowel in the preterite tense, the third person singular always needs that accent to mark the past tense sound.