escuchen
/eskut͡ʃen/from spelling rules
The English phrase "listen up" is translated into Spanish as escuchen.
escuchen is used as a command to get a group of people to listen. When using this as a command to get a group's attention, it is common to add exclamation marks, such as in ¡Escuchen!
Meaning: Translations (verb)
Which one should you use?
While the infinitive escuchar means "to listen", the form escuchen is the specific imperative used to tell a group of people to "listen up".
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are addressing only a single person informally, you would use escucha instead.
How do you pronounce it?
/eskutʃen/
Did you know?
- In some Caribbean dialects, the command to 'listen up' can be delivered as ¡Oye!, even when addressing a group. This ignores the standard plural grammar in favor of a more rhythmic and urgent social shorthand.
- While escuchen is the command for a group, in Spain you would use escuchad for an informal group. This distinction is almost entirely absent in Latin American Spanish, where escuchen covers both formal and informal group settings.
- While escuchar means 'to listen', the Spanish language has a separate verb oír for the physical act of 'hearing' a sound. This creates a distinction between the active effort of listening and the passive sense of hearing.
Examples in context
- ¡Escuchen todos!Listen up, everybody!This sentence is useful for showing how to address a whole group of people with escuchen.Tatoeba #4520487 by cueyayotl, translation #2601273 by AlanF_US
- Preste atención, por favor. Explicaré el tema que veremos hoy.Pay attention, please. I will explain today's topic.
- Favor de prestar atención a las instrucciones antes del inicio del evento.Please pay attention to the instructions before the start of the event.
- Escucha bien, necesito que recojas tu habitación ahora mismo.Listen well, I need you to clean your room right now.
- Pon atención, te voy a enseñar cómo jugar a este juego.Pay attention, I'm going to teach you how to play this game.
- Escuchen las instrucciones del profesor.Listen to the teacher's instructions.
- Escuchen bien lo que voy a decir.Listen closely to what I am going to say.
Example conversation
Elena is telling Mateo and their friends to pay attention to a plan.
- ElenaEscuchen, tengo un plan para el viaje.Listen up, I have a plan for the trip.
- MateoDinos, Elena, te estamos escuchando.Tell us, Elena, we are listening to you.
- ElenaPrimero, debemos reservar el hotel.First, we must book the hotel.
- MateoEso suena muy bien.That sounds very good.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
