Hablar Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Hablar” is a Spanish verb meaning – “to speak” or “to talk.”

It is a regular -AR verb, which means that every “hablar” conjugation follows the standard rules for verbs ending in -AR.

This makes it an excellent model for understanding Spanish verb conjugation. After all, once you have learned every “hablar” conjugation, you’ll be able to conjugate any other regular -AR verb in Spanish.

Unlike many irregular verbs you will find guides for on this site, regular verbs ending in -AR follow predictable patterns and are seriously easy to learn. Which is great news for learners like you!

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James and in this guide, I’ve outlined the conjugation of “hablar” across simple, compound, and subjunctive tenses, offering a clear and concise resource for mastering this essential aspect of Spanish grammar.

Whether you’re beginning your journey in Spanish or seeking to refine your language skills, learning how to conjugate ”hablar” with these conjugation charts and tense guides will help you to master fluency in Spanish.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	hablo
you	tú	hablas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habla
we	nosotros,nosotras	hablamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habláis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	hablan

When We Use The Present Tense

The present tense in Spanish conveys ongoing actions and habitual conversations. Alternatively, in the context of “hablar”, the present tense expresses general truths related to speaking or communication.

For instance, “Ellos hablan diferentes idiomas” (They speak different languages.)

The example sentences below provide every type of “hablar” conjugation in the present tense, which you’ll also find in the verb table above.

Examples of The Spanish Verb The Present Tense

• Yo hablo español todos los días. (I speak Spanish every day.)
• Tú hablas con tu hermana por teléfono. (You talk to your sister on the phone.)
• Él habla inglés muy bien. (He speaks English very well.)
• Nosotros hablamos con nuestros vecinos. (We talk to our neighbors.)
• Vosotros habláis demasiado rápido. (You all speak too fast.)
• Ellos hablan sobre el medio ambiente. (They talk about the environment.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	hablé
you	tú	hablaste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	habló
we	nosotros, nosotras	hablamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	hablasteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	hablaron

When We Use the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense narrates specific completed actions or events that occurred in the past.

We use the preterite tense when discussing conversations or speeches that had a definite start and end point.

For instance, “Él habló sobre el proyecto ayer” (He talked about the project yesterday.)

In every verb guide I have written, I remind Spanish learners not to confuse the preterite tense with the imperfect tense (which we’ll come onto shortly).

The translations of this regular verb when conjugated in the preterite tense are below.

Example of “Hablar” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo hablé con mi madre ayer. (I talked to my mother yesterday.)
• Tú hablaste con el profesor esta mañana. (You talked to the teacher this morning.)
• Él habló sobre su viaje a España. (He talked about his trip to Spain.)
• Nosotros hablamos sobre el proyecto la semana pasada. (We talked about the project last week.)
• Vosotros hablasteis con los clientes ayer. (You talked to the clients yesterday.)
• Ellos hablaron durante la reunión. (They talked during the meeting.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	creía
you	tú	creías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	creía
we	nosotros, nosotras	creíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	creíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	creían

When We Use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.

We use this tense in Spanish portrays continuous or repeated speaking activities without a specific endpoint.

For example, “Yo hablaba con mis amigos todos los días” (I used to talk to my friends every day) illustrates the habitual nature of the conversation, highlighting a past routine without emphasizing a precise conclusion.

So far we’ve covered how to conjugate hablar in two past tenses: the preterite tense and the imperfect tense.

Remember, we use the preterite tense for a specific endpoint, and the imperfect tense for ongoing past actions.

Examples of the Imperfect Tense

• Yo hablaba con mis amigos todos los días. (I used to talk to my friends every day.)
• Tú hablabas mucho en clase. (You used to talk a lot in class.)
• Él hablaba por teléfono cuando llegué. (He was talking on the phone when I arrived.)
• Nosotros hablábamos sobre el futuro. (We talked about the future.)
• Vosotros hablabais con el profesor cada semana. (You talked to the teacher every week.)
• Ellos hablaban en voz baja. (They were talking quietly.)

Future Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	hablaré
you	tú	hablarás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	hablará
we	nosotros,nosotras	hablaremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	hablaréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	hablarán

When We Use The Future Tense

The future tense expresses forthcoming actions or events. In the context of “hablar”, the literal translation is “will speak”.

This tense signifies conversations or speeches that will occur at a later time.

For instance, “Nosotros hablaremos con los clientes mañana” (We will talk to the clients tomorrow) indicates a planned conversation set to take place in the future.

As with all verbs, you need to make sure you understand the difference between the future and conditional tenses when using this regular -AR verb (as well as irregular verbs).

Some examples are below. Study these sentences and then compare them with the conditional tense examples in the next section.

Examples of “Hablar” in The Future Tense

• Yo hablaré contigo mañana. (I will talk to you tomorrow.)
• Tú hablarás con el jefe sobre el proyecto. (You will talk to the boss about the project.)
• Él hablará en la conferencia la próxima semana. (He will speak at the conference next week.)
• Nosotros hablaremos con los clientes el viernes. (We will talk to the clients on Friday.)
• Vosotros hablaréis con los profesores después de clase. (You will talk to the teachers after class.)
• Ellos hablarán sobre el cambio climático. (They will talk about climate change.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	hablaría
you	tú	hablarías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	hablaría
we	nosotros,nosotras	hablaríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	hablaríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	hablarían

When We Use the Conditional Tense

We use the conditional tense in Spanish to express hypothetical or conditional situations.

The hablar definition in the conditional tense is “would speak”.

This tense indicates actions that would occur under certain circumstances or in imagined scenarios.

For example, “Yo hablaría contigo si estuvieras aquí” (I would talk to you if you were here).

The example sentence provided above is a great use of the conditional tense and imperfect subjunctive.

If you can create sentences in Spanish using this sentence structure you are likely to do very well in any oral exam, irrespective of whether you are learning Spanish from Spain or any part of Latin America.

The structure is “Conditional Tense + si + Imperfect Subjunctive“.

Example of “Hablar” in the Conditional Tense

• Yo hablaría con ella si estuviera aquí. (I would talk to her if she were here.)
• Tú hablarías con el gerente sobre tu salario. (You would talk to the manager about your salary.)
• Él hablaría más si no estuviera tan nervioso. (He would talk more if he weren’t so nervous.)
• Nosotros hablaríamos con el profesor si tuviéramos dudas. (We would talk to the teacher if we had doubts.)
• Vosotros hablaríais más despacio si os lo pidiera. (You would talk more slowly if I asked you to.)
• Ellos hablarían sobre sus planes de viaje si les preguntaras. (They would talk about their travel plans if you asked them.)

Perfect Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	hablado
you	tú	has	hablado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	hablado
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	hablado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	hablado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	hablado

When We Use The Perfect Tense

The preterite perfect tense allows us to express actions that have been completed before the present moment or a specific point in the past.

When we speak English, we use the perfect tense on a regular basis. The translation is “have done something.” With the regular verb “hablar” it’s “have spoken”.

In order to use this tense, and all of the other past tenses I am about to show you, you need to conjugate the auxiliary verb “haber” and use the past participle of “hablar”, which is “hablado”.

For example: “¿Has hablado tú con tu papá sobre mí?” (Have you talked to your dad about me?)

I am going to show you the conjugation of this active verb in the sentences below. You can also find these in the conjugation chart.

Examples of “Hablar” in the Preterite Perfect

• Yo he hablado con él antes de la reunión. (I have talked to him before the meeting.)
• Tú has hablado con la maestra antes de la clase. (You have spoken to the teacher before class.)
• Él ha hablado sobre el proyecto antes de la presentación. (He has talked about the project before the presentation.)
• Nosotros hemos hablado de ir al cine antes de la lluvia. (We have talked about going to the movies before it rained.)
• Vosotros habéis hablado con los vecinos antes de la fiesta. (You all have talked to the neighbors before the party.)
• Ellos han hablado sobre el viaje antes de la cancelación del vuelo. (They have talked about the trip before the flight cancellation.)

Pluperfect Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	hablado
you	tú	habías	hablado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	hablado
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	hablado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	hablado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	hablado

When We Use The Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense expresses actions that had been completed before another past action or a specific point in the past.

This tense emphasizes the completion of the action before a particular reference point in the past.

Again, we form it with the conjugated auxiliary verb “haber” and the past participle “hablado”.

Top Tip: Do not confuse “hablado” with “hablando”. Remember that “hablado” is the past participle of “hablar”, while “hablando” is the gerund form of “hablar”, meaning “speaking”.

Examples of “Hablar” in the Pluperfect 

• Yo había hablado con él antes de la reunión. (I had talked to him before the meeting.)
• Tú habías hablado con la maestra antes de la clase. (You had spoken to the teacher before class.)
• Él había hablado sobre el proyecto antes de la presentación. (He had talked about the project before the presentation.)
• Nosotros habíamos hablado de ir al cine antes de la lluvia. (We had talked about going to the movies before it rained.)
• Vosotros habíais hablado con los vecinos antes de la fiesta. (You all had talked to the neighbors before the party.)
• Ellos habían hablado sobre el viaje antes de la cancelación del vuelo. (They had talked about the trip before the flight cancellation.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	hablado
you	tú	habrás	hablado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	hablado
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	hablado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	hablado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	hablado

When We Use The Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense for the verb “hablar” is employed to express actions that will have been completed before a specific future point in time.

This tense emphasizes the completion of the action prior to another future event or reference point.

The literal translation is “will have spoken” (when we use “hablar” as the example).

Again, we need to use the conjugated auxiliary verb “haber” and the participle “hablado” to use this tense.

Examples of ”Hablar” in the Future Perfect 

• Yo habré hablado con él antes de la reunión. (I will have talked to him before the meeting.)
• Tú habrás hablado con la maestra antes de la clase. (You will have spoken to the teacher before class.)
• Él habrá hablado sobre el proyecto antes de la presentación. (He will have talked about the project before the presentation.)
• Nosotros habremos hablado de ir al cine antes de la lluvia. (We will have talked about going to the movies before it rains.)
• Vosotros habréis hablado con los vecinos antes de la fiesta. (You all will have talked to the neighbors before the party.)
• Ellos habrán hablado sobre el viaje antes de la cancelación del vuelo. (They will have talked about the trip before the flight cancellation.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	hablado
you	tú	habrías	hablado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	hablado
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	hablado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	hablado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	hablado

When We Use The Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense for the verb “hablar” is employed to express actions that would have been completed under certain conditions in the past.

It indicates hypothetical or imagined events that might have occurred before another past event.

Just like the other examples, it is formed with the conjugated auxiliary verb “haber” and the participle “hablado”.

Further examples are below.

Examples of “Hablar” in the Conditional Perfect 

• Yo habría hablado con él si hubiera estado aquí. (I would have talked to him if he had been here.)
• Tú habrías hablado con la maestra si te lo hubieran permitido. (You would have spoken to the teacher if they had allowed you.)
• Él habría hablado sobre el proyecto si hubiera tenido más tiempo. (He would have talked about the project if he had had more time.)
• Nosotros habríamos hablado de ir al cine si no hubiera llovido. (We would have talked about going to the movies if it hadn’t rained.)
• Vosotros habríais hablado con los vecinos si hubiera sido necesario. (You all would have talked to the neighbors if it had been necessary.)
• Ellos habrían hablado sobre el viaje si hubieran tenido la oportunidad. (They would have talked about the trip if they had had the chance.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	hable
you	tú	hables
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	hable
we	nosotros,nosotras	hablemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habléis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	hablen

When We Use The Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive for the verb “hablar” is employed in dependent clauses to express desires, doubts, wishes, or hypothetical situations that are subjective or uncertain.

It often follows certain verbs, expressions, or conjunctions that trigger the use of the subjunctive mood.

I’m not going to explain when we use the Spanish subjunctive in this guide, but the examples below show you each conjugation of “hablar” for this subjunctive tense.

Examples of “Hablar” in the Present Subjunctive

• Es importante que yo hable con el director. (It is important that I speak with the director.)
• Quiero que tú hables con ella. (I want you to talk to her.)
• Ella prefiere que él hable con la verdad. (She prefers that he speak the truth.)
• Esperamos que nosotros hablemos con claridad. (We hope that we speak clearly.)
• Os sugiero que vosotros habléis con el abogado. (I suggest that you talk to the lawyer.)
• Ellos dudan que hablen la misma lengua. (They doubt that they speak the same language.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	hablara, hablase
you	tú	hablaras, hablases
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	hablara, hablase
we	nosotros,nosotras	habláramos, hablásemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	hablarais, hablaseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	hablaran, hablasen

When We Use The Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive for the verb “hablar” is utilized in dependent clauses to express desires, doubts, wishes, or hypothetical situations in the past that are subjective or uncertain.

Just like the present subjunctive, the imperfect subjunctive often follows certain verbs, expressions, or conjunctions that trigger the use of the subjunctive mood.

Some examples of these are below.

Examples of “Hablar” in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Era importante que yo hablara con el director. (It was important that I spoke with the director.)
• Quería que tú hablaras con ella. (I wanted you to talk to her.)
• Ella prefería que él hablara con la verdad. (She preferred that he spoke the truth.)
• Esperábamos que nosotros habláramos con claridad. (We hoped that we spoke clearly.)
• Os sugerí que vosotros hablarais con el abogado. (I suggested that you talked to the lawyer.)
• Ellos dudaban que habláramos la misma lengua. (They doubted that we spoke the same language.)

Preterite Perfect Subjunctive 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	hubiera,hubiese	hablado
you	tú	hubieras,hubieses	hablado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	hubiera,hubiese	hablado
we	nosotros,nosotras	hubiéramos,hubiésemos	hablado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	hubierais,hubieseis	hablado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	hubieran,hubiesen	hablado

When We Use The Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

The present perfect subjunctive for the verb “hablar” is used in dependent clauses to express actions that are completed before another action or situation in the present or future, while also conveying subjectivity, doubt, or uncertainty.

This is a great conjugation to incorporate into any oral exam to show that you understand how to use a range of subjunctive tenses.

Examples of “Hablar” in the Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

• Es necesario que yo haya hablado con el director antes de la reunión. (It’s necessary that I have talked to the director before the meeting.)
• Dudo que tú hayas hablado con ella antes de su partida. (I doubt that you have talked to her before her departure.)
• Espero que él haya hablado con la verdad desde el principio. (I hope that he has spoken the truth from the beginning.)
• Es importante que nosotros hayamos hablado con claridad sobre el asunto. (It’s important that we have spoken clearly about the issue.)
• Sugiero que vosotros hayáis hablado con el abogado antes de tomar una decisión. (I suggest that you all have talked to the lawyer before making a decision.)
• No creo que ellos hayan hablado sobre el tema en la reunión anterior. (I don’t believe that they have talked about the topic in the previous meeting.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡habla!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡hable!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡hablemos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡hablad!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡hablen!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative is used to give commands, orders, or instructions in a direct and assertive manner.

With “hablar” we use this form to instruct someone to speak or engage in communication.

Examples of “Hablar” in The Affirmative Imperative

• ¡Habla tú con el director ahora mismo! (Speak to the director right now!) – (Addressing “tú”)
• ¡Hablemos nosotros en voz alta para que nos escuchen! (Let’s speak up so they can hear us!) – (Addressing “nosotros”)
• Hablad vosotros con los clientes de manera cortés. (Speak to the clients courteously.) – (Addressing “vosotros”)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no hables!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no hable!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no hablemos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no habléis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no hablen!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative for the verb “hablar” is used to give commands or instructions in a direct and assertive manner, but with a negative form, indicating what not to do or advising against certain actions.

In order to use the negative imperative, simply add “no” to the statement and adopt the present subjunctive conjugation of the verb.

Examples of “Hablar” in The Negative Imperative

• No hables con el director sin permiso. (Don’t talk to the director without permission.)
• No hablemos en voz alta durante la presentación. (Let’s not speak up during the presentation.)
• No habléis con ella sobre ese tema delicado. (Don’t talk to her about that sensitive topic.)
• No hablen con los clientes hasta que estén preparados. (Don’t speak to the clients until you are ready.)

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