The Imperfect Tense of Hablar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Cuando era niño, hablaba español en casa. (When I was a child, I spoke Spanish at home.)

Hablar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Hablar (to speak) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of hablar is used to describe ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past.

Describing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Hablaba con mi amigo por teléfono cuando llegó mi mamá. (I was talking to my friend on the phone when my mom arrived.)

Describing a repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, De niño, hablaba mucho en clase. (As a child, I used to talk a lot in class.)

Describing a state or condition in the past: For example, Hablaba inglés con fluidez cuando vivía en Estados Unidos. (I spoke English fluently when I lived in the United States.)

Expressing age in the past: For example, Cuando tenía 10 años, hablaba como un adulto. (When I was 10 years old, I spoke like an adult.)

Expressing time in the past: For example, Eran las 8 de la noche y hablábamos de nuestros planes para el futuro. (It was 8 o’clock in the evening, and we were talking about our plans for the future.)

Colloquial/Slang usage: For example, ¡Hablaba puras tonterías! (He/She was talking nonsense!)

Examples

Examples of Hablar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo hablaba con mis amigos por teléfono todas las noches. (I used to talk to my friends on the phone every night.)

Cuando éramos niños, hablábamos sin parar durante horas. (When we were kids, we would talk nonstop for hours.)

Ellos hablaban en voz baja para no molestar a los demás. (They used to speak in a low voice so as not to bother others.)

Mi abuela hablaba de sus recuerdos de la infancia con nostalgia. (My grandmother would talk about her childhood memories with nostalgia.)

En la reunión, hablábamos sobre las estrategias para el próximo año. (In the meeting, we would discuss strategies for the next year.)

Tú hablabas muy rápido y era difícil entenderte. (You used to speak very quickly and it was hard to understand you.)

Ellas hablaban en clave para que nadie más las entendiera. (They would speak in code so that no one else could understand them.)

¿Hablabas en serio cuando dijiste que querías renunciar? (Were you serious when you said you wanted to quit?)

Aunque hablaba poco, sus palabras tenían mucho peso. (Although he spoke little, his words carried a lot of weight.)

Siempre hablábamos de nuestros sueños y esperanzas para el futuro. (We would always talk about our dreams and hopes for the future.)

Ella hablaba con tanta pasión que era imposible no emocionarse. (She would speak with such passion that it was impossible not to get excited.)

En la fiesta, hablábamos y reíamos hasta altas horas de la madrugada. (At the party, we would talk and laugh until the early hours of the morning.)

Mis padres hablaban en voz baja para no despertarme cuando era pequeño. (My parents would speak in a low voice so as not to wake me up when I was little.)

Aunque hablaba poco español, intentaba practicar en cada oportunidad. (Although I spoke little Spanish, I would try to practice at every opportunity.)

Cuando hablábamos de política, siempre surgían debates acalorados. (When we would talk about politics, heated debates would always arise.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.