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Conjugation Chart

“Hablar” (to speak) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Hablar”

The preterite of hablar is used to express a completed action of speaking in the past. For example, you might say “I spoke to my mother on the phone yesterday,” indicating a specific conversation that took place.

This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. As one of the most common Spanish verbs, its regular conjugation makes it particularly useful to master.

How to Use Hablar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of hablar describes a completed action of speaking or talking in the past.

To speak/talk: Refers to the act of verbal communication, for example Hablé con mi madre por teléfono (I spoke with my mother on the phone) or Hablaron durante horas (They talked for hours).

To discuss/address: Used for more formal communication, for example El presidente habló sobre la economía (The president spoke about the economy).

Real Life Examples of Hablar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Hablé con mi jefe ayer. (I spoke with my boss yesterday.)

¿Hablaste con el doctor? (Did you speak with the doctor?)

María habló por teléfono dos horas. (María spoke on the phone for two hours.)

Hablamos sobre el futuro. (We talked about the future.)

Los políticos hablaron de paz. (The politicians talked about peace.)

Hablé en público por primera vez. (I spoke in public for the first time.)

¿Por qué no hablaste antes? (Why didn’t you speak earlier?)

El profesor habló de historia. (The teacher talked about history.)

Hablamos toda la noche. (We talked all night.)

Los niños hablaron durante la clase. (The children talked during class.)

Hablé con mis padres anoche. (I spoke with my parents last night.)

¿Hablaste con el mecánico? (Did you talk to the mechanic?)

El presidente habló ante la nación. (The president spoke to the nation.)

Hablamos de nuestros planes. (We talked about our plans.)

Los expertos hablaron del tema. (The experts spoke about the topic.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Hablar (to speak) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.