hablo inglés
/ablo inɡles/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I speak english" is translated into Spanish as hablo inglés.
You use this phrase to inform others that you are able to communicate in the English language. Depending on your proficiency level, you might use other expressions: Hablo bastante inglés means you speak English quite well, Hablo fluidamente inglés means you speak English fluently and Domino el inglés indicates that you master English.
What does it mean word for word?
The word hablo is the first-person singular present indicative of the verb hablar (to speak).
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the subject pronoun yo (I) is often omitted in the phrase hablo inglés because the verb ending -o already indicates that the subject is I.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word hablar comes from the Latin word fabulari, which means 'to chat' or 'to tell a story'.
- While hablo inglés is a statement of ability, Spanish speakers often use the verb saber meaning 'to know' to express the same idea, as in sé inglés.
- The word inglés is a linguistic traveler that arrived in Spanish via Old French from the Old English word Englisc. This means the Spanish name for the language is actually a distant relative of the English word itself.
Examples in context
- Hablo inglés todos los días.I speak English daily.This example shows how to use hablo inglés to describe daily frequency.Tatoeba #1000704 by hayastan, translation #261835 by Zifre
- Hablo inglés, francés y español.I speak English, French and Spanish.This example shows how to use hablo inglés when listing multiple languages.Tatoeba #1476939 by marcelostockle, translation #2897273 by megamanenm
- Hablo inglés, esperanto, francés y japonés.I speak English, Esperanto, French and Japanese.This example shows how to use hablo inglés when listing several different languages.Tatoeba #1476945 by marcelostockle, translation #5355315 by mailohilohi
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro meets María at a tourist information center.
- AlejandroHola, ¿hablas inglés?Hello, do you speak English?
- MaríaSí, hablo inglés. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?Yes, I speak English. How can I help you?
- Alejandro¡Qué bien! Necesito ayuda con el mapa.That's great! I need help with the map.
- MaríaClaro, Alejandro, yo te ayudo.Of course, Alejandro, I will help you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries inglés, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
