escuchado por casualidad
/eskut͡ʃado poɾ kaswalidad/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'overheard' can be translated into Spanish as escuchado por casualidad.
The phrase is used to describe the act of hearing something that was said by other people without the intention of listening to them. You can also use the expression oír de casualidad to portray the idea of hearing something by chance or accidentally, or the phrase oír algo sin querer to express hearing something unintentionally.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase escuchado por casualidad literally translates to 'heard by chance'.
Did you know?
- If you want to sound more idiomatic, you can say you pescaste a conversation, which literally means you 'caught' it like a fish.
- The phrase por casualidad is frequently used as a polite 'hedge' when asking a question. Adding it to a request makes the question sound less demanding and more like a random inquiry.
- If you are eavesdropping intentionally, you might use the verb fisgonear instead of any phrase involving 'casualidad'.
Examples in context
- Escuché por casualidad la conversación de al lado.I overheard the conversation next door.
- Pillé su conversación secreta.I overheard their secret conversation.
- Oí de casualidad lo que dijeron sobre ti.I overheard what they said about you.
- Los escuché chismeando sobre él.I overheard them gossiping about him.
- Pillé a María hablando de ti con Juan.I overheard María talking about you with Juan.
- Oí de casualidad lo que decían de mí a mis espaldas, pero no les di importancia.I overheard what they were saying about me behind my back, but I didn't pay any attention to it.
- He escuchado por casualidad su discusión en la calle.I overheard their argument in the street.
- No era mi intención, pero lo he escuchado por casualidad.I didn't intend to, but I overheard it.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are talking in the office.
- ElenaHe escuchado por casualidad que habrá cambios.I overheard that there will be changes.
- Alejandro¿Dónde escuchaste eso, Elena?Where did you hear that, Elena?
- ElenaLo oí mientras estaba en la cocina.I heard it while I was in the kitchen.
- AlejandroNo creo que sea verdad, Alejandro.I don't think it's true, Alejandro.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
