Hablé con un colega.

Hablé is the preterite form of hablar for yo (I). It means the action is seen as completed in the past.

• hablo = I speak / I am speaking
• hablé = I spoke
• hablaba = I was speaking / I used to speak

So Hablé con un colega presents the conversation as a finished past event.

The accent mark in hablé shows both pronunciation and meaning.

• hablé = I spoke
• hable = a different form, usually the subjunctive or a formal command-related form

The accent tells you the stress falls on the last syllable: ha-BLÉ.

It is also a very common pattern in the yo preterite of regular -ar verbs:

• hablar → hablé
• trabajar → trabajé
• mirar → miré

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

In hablé, the ending -é already tells you it means I spoke. So:

• Hablé con un colega. = natural and common
• Yo hablé con un colega. = also correct, but yo adds emphasis or contrast

For example, Yo hablé con un colega, no con el jefe would stress I.

The verb hablar is very commonly used with con when you mean to talk with / to speak with someone.

So:

• hablar con alguien = to speak with someone

This is the most natural choice for a conversation involving another person.

You may also see hablar a alguien, which can feel more like speaking to someone rather than having a mutual conversation. In many everyday cases, hablar con is the safer and more common option.

Because colega is part of a prepositional phrase after con, not a direct object.

In Spanish, the so-called personal a is used before a direct object that is a specific person:

• Vi a un colega. = I saw a colleague.

But here, the structure is:

• hablé con + person

Since con is already the preposition, you do not add the personal a.

In Spain, colega can mean colleague, but it can also be more informal than English colleague.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• a work colleague
• a classmate or peer
• even something close to mate or buddy in informal speech

So in Spain, colega is a very common word and can sound more casual than English colleague sometimes does.

If you want a more strictly work-related word, you might also hear:

• compañero de trabajo = coworker
• compañera de trabajo = female coworker

Colega can refer to either a man or a woman. The word itself often keeps the same form, and the article usually shows gender:

• un colega = a male colleague / a colleague (unspecified or masculine)
• una colega = a female colleague

This is normal for some Spanish nouns ending in -a that are not automatically feminine in meaning.

Yes. That would mean the colleague is female.

Compare:

• Hablé con un colega. = I spoke with a male colleague / a colleague
• Hablé con una colega. = I spoke with a female colleague

The rest of the sentence stays the same.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

ah-BLEH kon oon ko-LEH-gah

A few useful points for Spain:

• h in hablé is silent
• é is stressed: ha-BLÉ
• con has a short o sound, not like English cone
• colega is stressed on the middle syllable: co-LE-ga

In standard Peninsular Spanish, this sounds smooth and fairly even, without strong English-style stress jumps.

Yes, but Hablé con un colega is the most neutral and natural order.

Spanish word order is flexible, so you might also hear:

• Con un colega hablé.

But that version sounds marked or emphatic, as if you are highlighting with a colleague specifically.

For most normal situations, stick with:

• Hablé con un colega.

You would usually use the imperfect:

• Hablaba con un colega.

That suggests something like:

• I was speaking with a colleague
• I used to speak with a colleague
• I was in the middle of speaking with a colleague

So the difference is:

• Hablé con un colega. = completed event
• Hablaba con un colega. = ongoing, habitual, or background past action

Yes, depending on the situation.

Some common alternatives are:

• compañero / compañera = companion, classmate, coworker, colleague
• compañero de trabajo / compañera de trabajo = coworker
• amigo / amiga = friend

So you could say:

• Hablé con un compañero.
• Hablé con una compañera de trabajo.

Each choice changes the nuance slightly. Colega is very natural in Spain and often pleasantly informal.