Inklingo

How to Say "you speak" in Spanish

The Spanish word foryou speakis hablaA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1
VerbA1
Polite/formal way to address one person ('usted')
A friendly woman is standing and actively talking, with colorful, abstract sound waves radiating outwards from her mouth to clearly illustrate the action of speaking.

Examples

Mi hermana habla español y francés.

My sister speaks Spanish and French.

Disculpe, ¿usted habla inglés?

Excuse me, do you (formal) speak English?

¡Habla más despacio, por favor!

Speak more slowly, please!

One Word, Three Meanings

This single word 'habla' can mean 'he speaks', 'she speaks', or 'you speak' if you're being formal. Spanish often leaves out words like 'he' or 'she' because the verb ending tells you who is doing the action.

It's Also a Command!

When you want to tell a friend ('tú') to do something, you often use this form. So, '¡Habla!' means 'Speak!' or 'Talk!'.

Mixing up 'habla' and 'hablas'

Mistake:Mi amigo hablaS español.

Correction: Mi amigo habla español. Use 'habla' for 'he/she/you (formal)'. The version with the '-s' at the end, 'hablas', is only for the informal 'you' ('tú').

Related Translations

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