habla

• IPA^(key): /ˈabla/

From Old Spanish fabla, from Latin fābula (“discourse”), from Proto-Italic *fāðlā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“speak”) + *-dʰleh₂. Compare fábula, a borrowed doublet.

habla f (plural hablas)

1. speech (faculty of speech)
2. speaking (action)

• The feminine noun habla is like other feminine nouns starting with a stressed a sound in that it takes the definite article el (normally reserved for masculine nouns) in the singular when there is no intervening adjective:

el habla

• However, if an adjective, even one that begins with a stressed a sound such as alta or ancha, intervenes between the article and the noun, the article reverts to la.

• hablar (“to speak”)

From the verb hablar

habla

1. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of hablar.

   Habla. — “He [or she] speaks.”

   (Usted) habla. — (formal singular) “(You) speak.”

2. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of hablar.

   ¡Habla! — (informal singular) The command, “Speak!”

• Hyphenation: hab‧la

hablá

1. to file a lawsuit

• ihabla
• maghabla
• paghahabla