The model -ar verb
Hablar is the textbook example of a regular -ar verb. Take off -ar and add the endings: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan. The same endings work for trabajar, estudiar, cocinar and thousands more.
Indicative tenses of hablar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | habloI speak |
|---|---|
| tú | hablasyou speak |
| él/ella/usted | hablahe/she speaks |
| nosotros/as | hablamoswe speak |
| vosotros/as | habláisyou all speak |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablanthey speak |
¿Hablas español? (do you speak Spanish?) One of the first questions you'll learn.
Preterite indicative
| yo | habléI spoke |
|---|---|
| tú | hablasteyou spoke |
| él/ella/usted | hablóhe/she spoke |
| nosotros/as | hablamoswe spoke |
| vosotros/as | hablasteisyou all spoke |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaronthey spoke |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | hablabaI used to speak |
|---|---|
| tú | hablabasyou used to speak |
| él/ella/usted | hablabahe/she used to speak |
| nosotros/as | hablábamoswe used to speak |
| vosotros/as | hablabaisyou all used to speak |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablabanthey used to speak |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy hablandoI am speaking |
|---|---|
| tú | estás hablandoyou are speaking |
| él/ella/usted | está hablandohe/she is speaking |
| nosotros/as | estamos hablandowe are speaking |
| vosotros/as | estáis hablandoyou all are speaking |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están hablandothey are speaking |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a hablarI am going to speak |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a hablaryou are going to speak |
| él/ella/usted | va a hablarhe/she is going to speak |
| nosotros/as | vamos a hablarwe are going to speak |
| vosotros/as | vais a hablaryou all are going to speak |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a hablarthey are going to speak |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | hablaréI will speak |
|---|---|
| tú | hablarásyou will speak |
| él/ella/usted | hablaráhe/she will speak |
| nosotros/as | hablaremoswe will speak |
| vosotros/as | hablaréisyou all will speak |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaránthey will speak |
Conditional indicative
| yo | hablaríaI would speak |
|---|---|
| tú | hablaríasyou would speak |
| él/ella/usted | hablaríahe/she would speak |
| nosotros/as | hablaríamoswe would speak |
| vosotros/as | hablaríaisyou all would speak |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaríanthey would speak |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he habladoI have spoken |
|---|---|
| tú | has habladoyou have spoken |
| él/ella/usted | ha habladohe/she has spoken |
| nosotros/as | hemos habladowe have spoken |
| vosotros/as | habéis habladoyou all have spoken |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han habladothey have spoken |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había habladoI had spoken |
|---|---|
| tú | habías habladoyou had spoken |
| él/ella/usted | había habladohe/she had spoken |
| nosotros/as | habíamos habladowe had spoken |
| vosotros/as | habíais habladoyou all had spoken |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían habladothey had spoken |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré habladoI will have spoken |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás habladoyou will have spoken |
| él/ella/usted | habrá habladohe/she will have spoken |
| nosotros/as | habremos habladowe will have spoken |
| vosotros/as | habréis habladoyou all will have spoken |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán habladothey will have spoken |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría habladoI would have spoken |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías habladoyou would have spoken |
| él/ella/usted | habría habladohe/she would have spoken |
| nosotros/as | habríamos habladowe would have spoken |
| vosotros/as | habríais habladoyou all would have spoken |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían habladothey would have spoken |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of hablar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | hable(that) I speak |
|---|---|
| tú | hables(that) you speak |
| él/ella/usted | hable(that) he/she speaks |
| nosotros/as | hablemos(that) we speak |
| vosotros/as | habléis(that) you all speak |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablen(that) they speak |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | hablara(if) I spoke |
|---|---|
| tú | hablaras(if) you spoke |
| él/ella/usted | hablara(if) he/she spoke |
| nosotros/as | habláramos(if) we spoke |
| vosotros/as | hablarais(if) you all spoke |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaran(if) they spoke |
Future subjunctive
| yo | hablare(if) I speak |
|---|---|
| tú | hablares(if) you speak |
| él/ella/usted | hablare(if) he/she speaks |
| nosotros/as | habláremos(if) we speak |
| vosotros/as | hablareis(if) you all speak |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaren(if) they speak |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya hablado(that) I have spoken |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas hablado(that) you have spoken |
| él/ella/usted | haya hablado(that) he/she has spoken |
| nosotros/as | hayamos hablado(that) we have spoken |
| vosotros/as | hayáis hablado(that) you all have spoken |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan hablado(that) they have spoken |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera hablado(if) I had spoken |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras hablado(if) you had spoken |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera hablado(if) he/she had spoken |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos hablado(if) we had spoken |
| vosotros/as | hubierais hablado(if) you all had spoken |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran hablado(if) they had spoken |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere hablado(if) I will have spoken |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres hablado(if) you will have spoken |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere hablado(if) he/she will have spoken |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos hablado(if) we will have spoken |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis hablado(if) you all will have spoken |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren hablado(if) they will have spoken |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of hablar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | hablaspeak! |
|---|---|
| usted | hablespeak! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | hablemoslet's speak! |
| vosotros/as | habladspeak! (you all) |
| ustedes | hablenspeak! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no hablesdon't speak! |
|---|---|
| usted | no habledon't speak! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no hablemoslet's not speak! |
| vosotros/as | no habléisdon't speak! (you all) |
| ustedes | no hablendon't speak! (you all, formal) |
Practice hablar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and hablar.
How to use hablar
Hablo inglés y un poco de español.
I speak English and a bit of Spanish.
Tengo que hablar contigo.
I need to talk to you.
Hablamos de la película.
We talked about the movie.
¿Quién habla?
Who's speaking?
¡Ni hablar!
No way!
Example sentences with hablar
- ¿Hablas español?Do you speak Spanish?
- Habla más despacio, por favor.Speak more slowly, please.
- Ayer hablé con mi madre.Yesterday I talked to my mom.
- Hablábamos durante horas.We used to talk for hours.
- Hablaremos mañana.We'll talk tomorrow.
- ¿Hablarías con él?Would you talk to him?
- Ojalá hablara mejor español.I wish I spoke better Spanish.
- He hablado con el jefe.I've talked to the boss.
Verbs like hablar
All regular -ar verbs follow exactly the same pattern as hablar.
Frequently asked questions about hablar
Is hablar regular or irregular?
Hablar is completely regular. It's the model verb for all regular -ar verbs.
How do you conjugate hablar in the present tense?
hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan.
How do you conjugate hablar in the preterite?
hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron.
What is the difference between hablar and decir?
Hablar = to speak or talk (in general): hablamos mucho. Decir = to say or tell something specific: dijo que sí.
Is the h in hablar pronounced?
No, the h in Spanish is always silent: hablar sounds like "ablar".
What is the past participle of hablar?
The past participle is hablado (he hablado, I have spoken) and the gerund is hablando.
Free cheat sheet
All 18 tenses of hablar, on one page.
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