escuchar música
/eskut͡ʃaɾ musika/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "listen to music" is escuchar música.
The phrase escuchar música is used when you are paying attention to the sounds of a song or a musical instrument for enjoyment. If you wish to describe a particular type of music or add adjectives to it, it is customary to use the feminine definite article la with música.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between intentionality and passive hearing. Use escuchar música when you are actively listening. In contrast, oír música refers to the passive act of hearing music without necessarily paying attention to it.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to a specific piece of music or a specific set of music that has already been mentioned, you must add the definite article la before música to form escuchar la música.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying escuchar a la música. English speakers often make this error by translating the "to" in "listen to" literally, but in Spanish, the personal a is only used for people or pets.
Did you know?
- When talking about the act of listening to music, Spanish speakers often use the phrase poner música, which literally means 'to put music'.
- The Spanish word escuchar is a doublet of auscultar. While the former is for music and conversation, the latter is used almost exclusively by doctors to describe listening to a patient's heart or lungs with a stethoscope.
Examples in context
- Me gusta escuchar música.I like to listen to music.This sentence shows how to express a preference for listening to music using escuchar música.Tatoeba #1131063 by Shishir, translation #1232224 by falcons84
- Mi hobby es escuchar música.My hobby is to listen to music.This sentence uses escuchar música to define a hobby.Tatoeba #1910063 by marcelostockle, translation #6011 by Zifre
- A ella le gusta escuchar música.She likes to listen to music.This sentence demonstrates how to express that someone else likes to use escuchar música.Tatoeba #568122 by Shishir, translation #312758 by CK
- Vamos a la playa y escuchamos música juntos.Let's go to the beach and listen to music together.
- Me gusta escuchar la música clásica.I like to listen to classical music.
- Apreciaría su consejo sobre qué género musical debería escuchar.I would appreciate your advice on which musical genre I should listen to.
- No aguanto un día sin oír mi música favorita.I can't stand a day without hearing my favorite music.
- Escuchamos música a todo volumen mientras preparamos la comida.We listen to music at full volume while we cook.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about their plans for the evening.
- Daniel¿Qué quieres hacer hoy, Lucía?What do you want to do today, Lucía?
- LucíaQuiero descansar y escuchar música.I want to rest and listen to music.
- DanielYo también, ¿qué grupo escuchamos?Me too, what band should we listen to?
- LucíaPodemos escuchar música nueva juntos.We can listen to new music together.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries escuchar, música, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
