hablaron

Hablaron is the third-person plural preterite indicative form of the Spanish verb hablar, meaning to speak or to talk. It is used for actions completed in the past by ellos, ellas, or ustedes in modern Spanish, and translates as they spoke or you spoke (plural) depending on the subject.

As a regular -ar verb, hablar follows the standard preterite endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron. The form hablaron is formed from the stem habl- plus the ending -aron. It is used to narrate past events that are viewed as completed.

Etymology and form: hablar originates from Latin fabulari or fabulare, meaning to talk or tell fables; over time, the initial consonant f in the derived form softened in the evolution to Old Spanish, producing the modern initial h in hablar. The preterite form hablaron preserves the regular -aron ending characteristic of -ar verbs for the third-person plural.

Usage notes: The preterite tense, including hablaron, is commonly employed to recount specific past actions or events, as opposed to the imperfect, which describes habitual or ongoing past actions. In many dialects, hablaron can be glossed as “they spoke” or “you spoke” in a plural sense, depending on the subject.

Example sentences: Ellos hablaron con el profesor ayer. Ustedes hablaron muy claro durante la reunión. These illustrate the use of hablaron to express completed past communication actions by a plural subject.