Hablar (to speak) · Preterite
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Hablar in the Spanish preterite (pretérito indefinido) is: yo hablé, tú hablaste, él/ella/usted habló, nosotros/as hablamos, vosotros/as hablasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaron. The preterite of hablar is the model regular -ar preterite. Note the accent on the yo form 'hablé' and the él/ella/usted form 'habló' — these accents are required and distinguish the preterite from the present.
| To Speak | Hablar |
|---|---|
| I spoke | yo hablé |
| you spoke | tú hablaste |
| he/she spoke | él/ella/usted habló |
| we spoke | nosotros/as hablamos |
| you spoke | vosotros/as hablasteis |
| they spoke | ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaron |
Hablar (to speak) in context
Sentences that use hablar in the preterite. Tap each to hear it.
I spoke with your mother this morning.
Did you speak with the director?
My father talked for hours at dinner.
We talked about old times all night.
You spoke very clearly and directly.
The leaders spoke of peace at the summit.
Working with the preterite
The preterite describes a finished past action with a clear boundary — "ayer comí pizza" (yesterday I ate pizza). The key contrast is with the imperfect, which describes ongoing or repeated past actions without a defined endpoint. If you can substitute "used to" or "was doing" in English, you usually want the imperfect; if the action is one-and-done, you want the preterite. The irregular preterites (fui, hice, dije, tuve, vine, supe) are the highest-frequency in Spanish — front-load them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate hablar in the preterite?
Why is 'hablamos' the same in the present and preterite?
When do I use 'hablé' instead of 'hablaba'?
Practice Hablar (To Speak) in real conversations
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