hablar demasiado
/ablaɾ demasjado/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'talk too much' is translated into Spanish as hablar demasiado.
You can use hablar demasiado to describe the act of talking excessively. If you want to imply that someone has said something they shouldn't have, a common alternative is the idiomatic expression hablar de más. For informal ways to describe someone who talks too much, you might use the expression Habla hasta por los codos (talks even through their elbows), No sabe cuándo cerrar la boca (doesn't know when to shut their mouth) or refer to the person as Es un/a parlanchín/parlanchina (a chatterbox).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase hablar demasiado is composed of the verb hablar (to talk) and the adverb demasiado (too much/too many).
How does it change in a sentence?
To use this in a sentence, you must conjugate the verb. In the third-person singular present tense, hablar demasiado becomes habla demasiado (he/she talks too much). To express that someone talked too much in the past, use the preterite form habló demasiado (he/she talked too much).
Did you know?
- The verb hablar actually stems from the Latin 'fabulārī', which means to chat or tell stories. This connection is why the English word 'fable' is a distant relative of the Spanish verb for talking.
- The word parlanchín for a chatterbox shares a root with the French word parler and the Italian parlare, but it is used specifically to describe a personality trait rather than the act of speaking.
- The word demasiado can function as both an adverb to modify a verb and an adjective to modify a noun, changing its ending to match the noun's gender and number.
Examples in context
- Él tiende a hablar demasiado.He tends to talk too much.This sentence shows how someone might tend to talk too much.Tatoeba #2228029 by marcelostockle, translation #290140 by CK
- Su tendencia a hablar demasiado cuando está nerviosa es una manía que puedo tolerar.Her tendency to talk too much when she's nervous is a foible I can tolerate.This sentence describes a person's tendency to use hablar demasiado when they are nervous.Tatoeba #8976128 by arh, translation #8976064 by AlanF_US
- No puedo creer lo parlanchina que es Laura.I can't believe how much Laura talks.
- No quiero hablar demasiado en la entrevista.I do not want to talk too much in the interview.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are talking about a mutual friend.
- JavierCreo que Luis suele hablar demasiado.I think Luis tends to talk too much.
- ElenaSí, a veces no deja hablar a nadie.Yes, sometimes he doesn't let anyone else speak.
- JavierEs divertido, pero puede ser agotador.He is funny, but it can be exhausting.
- ElenaEstoy de acuerdo, Javier.I agree, Javier.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries demasiado, hablar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
