te escucho
/te eskut͡ʃo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I hear you" is expressed as te escucho.
The phrase is used to tell someone that you can perceive the sound of their voice or that you are paying attention to them. While te escucho implies the act of listening or paying attention, if you specifically mean the physical ability to perceive the sound of a voice, you would use te oigo. If you want to say "I get it" or "I understand" in an informal way among friends, you might use lo pillo. For expressing empathy, such as "I understand how you feel," you can use entiendo cómo te sientes.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between listening and hearing: te escucho implies paying attention to someone, whereas te oigo is used more strictly to refer to the physical perception of sound. Additionally, lo pillo is an informal way to say "I get it" or "I understand," whereas te escucho focuses on the act of hearing or listening.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, if you are addressing a group of people informally, you would use os escucho.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form te escucho uses the informal singular pronoun te, which is appropriate for friends or children. For a formal singular context, you should use lo escucho (masculine) or la escucho (feminine). For plural groups in Spain, the informal os escucho is used.
How do you pronounce it?
/te eskutʃo/
Did you know?
- While te escucho means 'I hear you' or 'I am listening', the verb escuchar is derived from the Latin 'auscultare', which specifically described the act of listening to a patient's chest with the ear.
- In some Latin American countries, saying te escucho can function as a polite invitation for the other person to start speaking, similar to the English 'I'm all ears'.
- While 'I hear you' in English can sometimes sound dismissive, using te escucho in a Spanish-speaking context is often a powerful tool for signaling empathy and validation during a conflict.
Examples in context
- Puedo no estar de acuerdo con tus palabras pero te escucho hasta el final.I may disagree with your words but I hear you out.This sentence shows how to use te escucho to express that you are listening to someone even if you disagree.Tatoeba #4119326 by gianich73, translation #4124433 by cy3
- Te escucho bien.I hear you well.This sentence uses te escucho to indicate that you can hear someone clearly.Tatoeba #1207252 by rafmagon, translation #4505623 by AlanF_US
- Le escucho atentamente, y trabajaremos juntos para mejorar.I'm listening to you attentively, and we will work together to improve.
- Habla más alto, que no te escucho.Speak louder, because I can't hear you.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking in a noisy cafe.
- María¿Me oyes, Mateo?Can you hear me, Mateo?
- MateoSí, te escucho perfectamente.Yes, I hear you perfectly.
- MaríaMenos mal, porque hay mucho ruido aquí.Thank goodness, because it is very noisy in here.
- MateoNo te preocupes, María.Don't worry, María.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
