escucho música
/eskut͡ʃo musika/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'I listen to music' is translated into Spanish as escucho música.
This phrase is used to state that you are currently or generally engaging in the activity of listening to music.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to 'I listen music'. In Spanish, the verb escuchar is a transitive verb, which means it does not require a preposition like 'to' to connect it to the object.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word escucho is the first-person singular present indicative form of the verb escuchar, meaning 'I listen'. You can change the subject of the phrase by changing the verb form: use escuchas música for 'you listen to music' (informal) or escuchamos música for 'we listen to music'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add the preposition 'a' before 'música' (e.g., escucho a la música). In Spanish, you should not use 'a' here because escuchar takes the direct object 'música' directly.
Did you know?
- Because the subject 'I' is encoded in the ending of escucho, Spanish speakers almost never say Yo escucho música unless they are intentionally emphasizing that they are the ones listening.
- If you wanted to say you are listening to a person instead of music, you would actually need to add the preposition 'a', such as in escucho a María.
- The word música comes from the Ancient Greek word for the 'art of the Muses', the nine goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences.
Examples in context
- Me gusta inventar historias cuando escucho música.I like to make up stories when I listen to music.This sentence shows an activity done while listening to music using escucho música.Tatoeba #9053222 by rafaeldejesus8199, translation #9053223 by rafaeldejesus8199
- Escucho música y bailo.I listen to music and dance.This sentence shows two simultaneous activities using escucho música.Tatoeba #9151335 by carlosalberto, translation #9151282 by carlosalberto
- Antes de ir a dormir, escucho música.Before I go to sleep, I listen to music.This sentence describes a routine or habit involving escucho música.Tatoeba #5535110 by zvzuibqx, translation #4048928 by AlanF_US
- Escucho música todos los días.I listen to music every day.
- Yo escucho música mientras trabajo.I listen to music while I work.
- Suelo escuchar música al final del día para relajarme.I usually listen to music at the end of the day to relax.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are talking about their hobbies.
- MateoEn mi tiempo libre, escucho música.In my free time, I listen to music.
- María¿Qué tipo de música te gusta?What kind of music do you like?
- MateoMe gusta el pop y el rock.I like pop and rock.
- María¡A mí también me encantan!I love them too!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries música, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
