Hablar (to speak) · Present

Hablar = to speak / to talk (the act of speaking, often without a direct object): 'hablo español' (I speak Spanish), 'estamos hablando' (we're talking). Decir = to say specific words or to tell (always with content): 'digo que sí' (I say yes), 'le digo la verdad' (I tell him the truth). 'Te hablo más tarde' = I'll talk to you later. 'Te digo la verdad' = I'm telling you the truth. Confusing them is one of the most common Spanish-learner errors.

Hablar is one of the most common -ar verbs and serves as the textbook 'paradigm' verb — every Spanish 101 class introduces it first because every form is predictable. Once you know the six endings (-o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an), you can conjugate hundreds of regular -ar verbs. The next two paradigm verbs are comer (-er model) and vivir (-ir model) — the three of them together cover the entire regular conjugation system.