escuchar
/eskuˈt͡ʃaɾ/
The Spanish verb for 'listen' is escuchar.
escuchar is used when you intend to pay attention to a sound. If you are referring to the physical ability to hear, you should use the verb oír instead.
Meaning: to pay attention to a sound (verb)
Which one should you use?
While escuchar means to pay attention to a sound, oír is the verb used for the physiological sense of hearing.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, when you want to say 'listen to me', you attach the object pronoun 'me' to the end of the infinitive to form escucharme.
How do you pronounce it?
/eskuˈtʃaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget that when the object of escuchar is a person, you must use the personal 'a', such as in Escuchar a María.
Did you know?
- The verb escuchar is a linguistic doublet of the medical term auscultar, which means to listen to a patient's heart or lungs with a stethoscope.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if a parent tells a child Escúchame, they are not just asking for attention, but are actually commanding the child to 'obey' them.
- The word escuchar shares an ancient root with the English word 'audible', both tracing back to the Latin 'audire' through different phonetic paths.
Examples in context
- ¿Me vas a escuchar?Will you listen to me?This sentence shows how to ask if someone will listen to you using escuchar.Tatoeba #5141007 by don_ramon, translation #3415463 by CK
- Tom no va a escuchar.Tom won't listen.This sentence demonstrates a simple negative statement with escuchar.Tatoeba #2224915 by Shishir, translation #1867702 by CK
- Él no me va a escuchar.He will not listen to me.This sentence illustrates the use of escuchar with an object pronoun.Tatoeba #1331822 by marcelostockle, translation #291954 by CK
- Preste atención a las instrucciones detalladasPay attention to the detailed instructions
- Oiga, necesito discutir un asunto urgenteListen, I need to discuss an urgent matter
- Escucha, necesito contarte algoListen, I need to tell you something
- Mira, no puedo creer lo que pasóListen, I can't believe what happened
- Oye, ¿vamos al concierto juntos?Hey, shall we go to the concert together?
- Escucha con atención lo que dice el profesor.Listen attentively to what the teacher is saying.
- Oye, ¿podemos hablar después del trabajo?Hey, can we talk after work?
- Preste atención a las indicaciones del guía turístico.Pay attention to the tour guide's instructions.
- 149 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are sitting in a park.
- Mateo¿Quieres escuchar los pájaros, Sofía?Do you want to listen to the birds, Sofía?
- SofíaSí, es muy relajante.Yes, it is very relaxing.
- MateoEscucha ese sonido extraño en el árbol.Listen to that strange sound in the tree.
- SofíaNo escucho nada, Mateo.I don't hear anything, Mateo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “listen” translations and entries escuchar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries escuchar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
