El abogado habla con el periodista sobre la justicia.

In Spanish, singular countable nouns almost always need an article (definite el / la or indefinite un / una).
So you say:

• el abogado = the lawyer
• un abogado = a lawyer

Leaving out the article (abogado habla…) is incorrect in this sentence. The same applies to el periodista (the journalist).

Hablar is the infinitive (to speak / to talk).
Habla is the present tense, 3rd person singular of hablar:

• (él / ella) habla = he / she talks / is talking

The subject is el abogado, so the verb must be habla to agree with it.

Yes, you could say:

• El abogado está hablando con el periodista sobre la justicia.

In Spanish:

• habla can mean talks or is talking and is used a lot for actions happening “now”.
• está hablando emphasizes the action in progress right now, similar to English “is talking”.

Both are grammatical; the choice is about nuance and context.

With the verb hablar, Spanish normally uses con to mean talk with / to (someone):

• hablar con alguien = to talk with/to someone

Hablar a alguien exists but is less common and can sound more like to speak at someone (one‑directional). For a normal conversation, hablar con is the standard.

In this sentence, sobre means about / regarding.
Other common options:

• El abogado habla con el periodista sobre la justicia.
• El abogado habla con el periodista de la justicia.
• El abogado habla con el periodista acerca de la justicia.

All are possible; sobre and acerca de feel slightly more formal or explicit as “about,” while de is very common and can be a bit more neutral.

Spanish uses definite articles with abstract nouns much more than English does.
So you often see:

• la justicia = justice
• la libertad = freedom
• el amor = love

Leaving the article out (sobre justicia) is not wrong in all contexts, but in a neutral sentence like this, sobre la justicia is the most natural.

Yes. These are all grammatical:

• El abogado habla con el periodista sobre la justicia.
• El abogado habla sobre la justicia con el periodista.

Both mean the same thing. Moving phrases around can slightly change emphasis, but Spanish word order is fairly flexible as long as the relationships stay clear.

Abogado is a masculine noun; the feminine form is abogada:

• el abogado = the (male) lawyer
• la abogada = the (female) lawyer

Periodista is a common gender noun: the ending doesn’t change, only the article:

• el periodista = male journalist
• la periodista = female journalist

So the gender comes from the article plus, for some words like abogado, the noun ending.

Yes:

• El abogado conversa con el periodista sobre la justicia.

Hablar = to talk / to speak (very common, general verb).
Conversar = to converse, to have a conversation (a bit more formal or “two‑way” in feel, but also common).
In this context, they are practically interchangeable.

Pronunciation: habla → /ˈa.bla/

• The h in modern Spanish is silent.
• Stress falls on the first syllable: HA-bla.
• The b between vowels is soft, like a gentle “b/v” sound.

So habla sounds like “abla” in English letters.

They are related but not the same:

• la justicia = justice (the idea of fairness, what is just)
• el derecho = law (as a system; also “a right,” as in human rights)

So:

• Habla sobre la justicia = He talks about justice.
• Habla sobre el derecho = He talks about law (the legal system / legal studies).

By itself, habla can mean either:

• He talks / he usually talks (habitual)
• He is talking (right now)

Context normally makes it clear. If someone is narrating what is happening at this moment, El abogado habla… will be understood as is talking right now. If you specify time, you clarify it:

• Siempre habla con el periodista = He always talks with the journalist (habit).
• Ahora habla con el periodista = He is talking with the journalist now.