¿qué estás escuchando?
In Spanish, 'what are you listening to?' is said as ¿qué estás escuchando?
You can also use the form ¿qué escuchas? to ask the same question. While the simple present form is also common, it places slightly less emphasis on the action being currently in progress compared to the continuous form.
Which one should you use?
While the English phrase requires the preposition 'to' after the verb 'listening', the Spanish verb escuchar is used transitively in this context, meaning no preposition is needed between the verb and the object.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you may hear the colloquial expression ¿Qué estás poniendo? to mean 'What are you playing?' In Argentina, the phrase ¿Qué música tenés puesta? is used to ask 'What music do you have on?' and ¿Qué estás escuchando ahora? is used for 'What are you listening to now?'
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a group of people (you all), change the verb to the third-person plural form: ¿qué están escuchando?
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking contexts, the word escuchar can be used to mean 'obey', such as when a parent tells a child ¡Escúchame!, which can mean 'Listen to me' or 'Do as I say'.
- In certain Spanish dialects, the distinction between 'listening' to something and 'hearing' something is much sharper than in English, often using oír for the physical sensation of sound and escuchar for the intentional act of paying attention.
- The word qué shares a common ancestor with the English word 'what' and the Latin 'quid' through the Proto-Indo-European root '*kʷid'.
Examples in context
- Pareces muy concentrada, ¿qué estás escuchando?You look very concentrated, what are you listening to?
Example conversation
Daniel sees Elena wearing headphones in the living room.
- DanielHola Elena, ¿qué estás escuchando?Hi Elena, what are you listening to?
- ElenaEstoy escuchando un podcast nuevo.I am listening to a new podcast.
- Daniel¿De qué trata el podcast?What is the podcast about?
- ElenaTrata sobre la historia del arte.It is about art history.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
