Laura y yo hablamos al mismo tiempo, y la profesora nos pide calma.

Laura and I speak at the same time, and the teacher asks us to calm down.

Breakdown of Laura y yo hablamos al mismo tiempo, y la profesora nos pide calma.

• yo: I
• y: and
• la profesora: the teacher
• hablar: to speak

Questions & Answers about Laura y yo hablamos al mismo tiempo, y la profesora nos pide calma.

Why is it hablamos and not hablan, if Laura y yo refers to two people?

Because Laura y yo means Laura and I, and any subject that includes yo takes the first person plural form, equivalent to nosotros/nosotras.

So:

• yo hablo = I speak
• Laura y yo hablamos = Laura and I speak
• ellos hablan = they speak

Even though there are two people, one of them is I, so Spanish uses we, not they.

Could Laura y yo be replaced by nosotras?

Yes. Since Laura and the speaker are both female, Laura y yo could be replaced by nosotras.

So this would also work:

• Nosotras hablamos al mismo tiempo.

If the group were mixed or the gender were unknown, Spanish would normally use nosotros.

Does hablamos mean we speak or we spoke?