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ellos hablaban

talked, were talking; spoke, were speaking

a ˈb l a b a n → hablar
habl to speak, to talk + aban 3rd-person plural imperfect
verb · 3rd-person plural, imperfect tense Uncommon #15,494
talked, were talking; spoke, were speaking The imperfect form can describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past.
SP: Mis amigos hablaban de sus planes.
EN: My friends were talking about their plans.
Conjugation of hablar
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First hablaba hablábamos
Second hablabas —
Third hablaba hablaban
Subjunctive imperfect
SingularPlural
First hablaba hablábamos
Second hablabas —
Third hablaba hablaban
hablara

Pero cuando naciste, ellas no se hablaban.

But when you were born, they weren’t speaking to each other.

— Legado en los huesos (2019)

Hablaban francés.

They spoke French.

Todos hablaban de la guerra como algo inminente.

Everyone talked about the war as though it were imminent.

— Мой друг Иван Лапшин (1985)

Debe ser el taller del que hablaban.

It must be the workshop they were talking about.

— El jardín de los pecadores 5: Paradoja espiral (2008)

Hablaban cada noche por teléfono.

They spoke on the phone every night.

Esto es de lo que hablaban en las noticias.

This is what they were talking about on the news.

O ellos le hablaban de sus secretos.

Or they would tell him their secrets.

— Valor sentimental (2025)

Y todos hablaban sin prestarle atención.

And everyone was talking without paying attention to him.

— La La Land: Una historia de amor (2016)

Hablaban un idioma que no reconocí.

They were speaking a language I didn’t recognize.

Ellos hablaban de negocios.

They were talking about business.

Aunque eran hermanos no se hablaban.

Although they were brothers, they didn't speak to each other.

Tom y sus amigos se hablaban en francés.

Tom and his friends spoke to each other in French.

Hablaban de economía.

They were talking about economics.

¿"De que hablaban"?

What were they talking about?

— Una Voz Silenciosa (2016)

Es de lo único que Chad y tú hablaban.

That's all you and Chad were talking about.

— Ballena Asesina (2026)

No entendí porque hablaban en voz baja.

I didn't understand because they were speaking quietly.

Ahora, a pesar de sus deseos, incluso hablaban más de ella.

Now, despite her wishes, they were talking about her even more.

— El cuento de la Princesa Kaguya (2013)

¿De qué hablaban?

What were they talking about?

Uno en el que hablaban de congelar a los muertos.

One where they talked about freezing the dead.

— Abre los ojos (1997)

¿O de qué hablaban?

Or what were they talking about?

— Familia (2023)

Se perdieron en el campamento y todos hablaban de ustedes dos.

You two got lost at the camp, and everyone was talking about you.

— Hoy Quiero Volver Solito (2014)

Los romanos hablaban latín.

The Romans spoke Latin.

Ellos no hablaban español.

They did not speak Spanish.

Ella decía que sentía que los pájaros le hablaban.

She said she felt like the birds were talking to her.

— El recuerdo de Marnie (2014)

Los viejos hablaban de la vida.

The old people were talking about life.

Hablaban de sus asquerosos hijos.

They were talking about their disgusting children.

— Buenos Muchachos (1990)

No sé de qué hablaban siempre.

I don't know what they were always talking about.

— Dil Se.. (1998)

Sounds similar to

hablabas a ˈb l a b a s