Inklingo

habló

ah-BLOHaˈblo

habló means he spoke in Spanish (past completed action).

he spoke, she spoke, you spoke

Also: it spoke
VerbA1regular ar
A simple storybook illustration of a friendly man standing, looking forward, with his mouth open mid-speech.
infinitivehablar
gerundhablando
past Participlehablado

📝 In Action

Mi hermano habló con el director ayer.

A1

My brother spoke with the director yesterday.

¿Qué dijo? Ella solo habló por cinco minutos y se fue.

A2

What did she say? She only spoke for five minutes and left.

Usted no habló durante la reunión, ¿está todo bien?

B1

You didn't speak during the meeting, is everything alright?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • conversó (he/she chatted)
  • dijo (he/she said)

Common Collocations

  • habló en seriohe/she spoke seriously
  • habló del temahe/she spoke about the topic

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

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

imperfect

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

preterite

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

subjunctive

present

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

imperfect

él/ella/ustedhablara
yohablara
hablaras
ellos/ellas/ustedeshablaran
nosotroshabláramos
vosotroshablarais

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "habló" in Spanish:

he spokeit spokeshe spoke

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: habló

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'habló'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
hablar(to speak)Verb
el habla(speech (the faculty of speaking))Noun
la conversación(conversation)Noun
🎵 Rhymes
📚 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)

Portuguese: falouFrench: parla

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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.