Oír and escuchar: hearing and listening in Spanish

The idea

Oír commonly describes perceiving a sound; escuchar often emphasizes paying attention. Oír can also be used for attentive hearing.

Examples

• Oigo la campana desde mi casa.I hear the bell from my house.
• Escuchamos la explicación con atención.We listen carefully to the explanation.
• ¿Oyes la lluvia?Can you hear the rain?
• Ana escucha el consejo de su amiga.Ana listens to her friend’s advice.
• No oigo el anuncio con claridad.I cannot hear the announcement clearly.
• ¿Escuchas música mientras cocinas?Do you listen to music while you cook?

Watch out

The meanings overlap: escuchar is also used for simply hearing, especially in American Spanish, so context matters.

Try it yourself

1. Use oír with yo to describe hearing the bell. Yo ___ la campana. (oigo / escucho)

   Show answer or example answer

   oigo

   Oigo is the yo form of oír used here for perception.

2. Use escuchar with nosotros to describe attentive listening. Nosotros ___ con atención. (escuchamos / oímos)

   Show answer or example answer

   escuchamos

   Escuchamos is the nosotros form of escuchar used for attentive listening.

3. Use escuchar with tú to ask about listening to music. ¿___ música al cocinar? (escuchas / oyes)

   Show answer or example answer

   escuchas

   Escuchas is the tú form of escuchar in the requested sentence.

Use it today

Describe hearing a bell and listening carefully to an explanation using the requested verb.