Spanish Verbs Oír and Escuchar

The differences between oà ­r and escuchar are essentially the same as the differences between to hear and to listen to. While there is some overlap in how the verbs are used, oà ­r generally refers to the simple act of hearing, and escuchar involves the listeners response to what is heard. Using Oà ­r Some typical uses of oà ­r as referring to the sensory act of hearing: No puedo oà ­r a nadie con mi nuevo telà ©fono. (I cant hear anybody with my brand-new telephone.)Cuando era pequeà ±a oà ­ la expresià ³n muchas veces. (When I was little I heard the expression often.) ¿Dà ³nde has estado encerrado si no has oà ­do estas canciones? (Where have you been penned up if you havent heard these songs?)Finalmente, oiremos el Concierto para piano no. 21 en do mayor. (Finally, we will hear the Concerto for Piano No. 21 in C Major.) It is common to use oà ­r when referring to activities such as listening to the radio or attending a concert, although escuchar can also be used: Yo oà ­a la radio antes de irme a la cama. (I was listening to the radio before going to bed.)Compramos boletos y fuimos a oà ­r un concierto de jazz. (We bought tickets and went to a jazz concert.) The imperative forms oye, oiga, oà ­d (rare in Latin America), and oigan are sometimes used to call attention to what youre saying. Translations vary with the context. Pues oye  ¿que quieres que te diga? (Well then, what do you want me to tell you?)Oiga, creo no es una buena idea. (Hey, I dont think its a good idea.) Using Escuchar Like listen, escuchar carries the idea of paying attention or of heeding advice. Note that escuchar is not typically followed by a preposition in the way that listen is nearly always followed by to. The exception is that when listening to a person the personal a is used. Escucharon el ruido de un avià ³n. (They heard the noise of an airplane.)Mis padres escuchaban mucho a Gipsy Kings. (My parents listened a lot to the Gipsy Kings.)Debes escuchar a tus clientes con mà ¡s atencià ³n. (You should listen more attentively to your customers.)Todos escuchamos el consejo que le da a Miguel. (We all listened to the advice that he gave to Miguel.)Te recomiendo que te escuches la entrevista completa. (I recommend that you listen to the complete interview.)Escuchà © a mi profesora de yoga y entendà ­ lo que me querà ­a decir. (I listened to my yoga professor and understood what she wanted to tell me.) The reflexive form, escuchar, is often used to indicate that something was or is heard. La voz del hombre se escuchaba mà ¡s fuerte y clara. (The voice of the man was heard loud and clear.)Ahora Spotify te dirà ¡ quà © mà ºsica se escucha en otros paà ­ses. (Now Spotify will tell you what music is heard in other countries.) There are a few situations in which either oà ­r or escuchar can be used with little difference in meaning. Primarily, either can be used when hearing or listening to requests: Oyà ³/escuchà ³ las sà ºplicas de su amigo. (She heard/listened to the pleas of her friend.) Related Words Nouns related to oà ­r include el oà ­do, the sense of hearing, and la oà ­da, the act of hearing. Oà ­ble is an adjective meaning audible. In some regions, un escucho is a secret conveyed by a whisper, while escuchà ³n is an adjective referring to someone who is overly curious about what other people are saying. Conjugation The conjugation of oà ­r is highly irregular in spelling and pronunciation. Escuchar is conjugated regularly, following the pattern of hablar and other regular -ar verbs. Etymology Oà ­r comes from the Latin audire and is related to words such as oyez (a word used in courts to gain attention), audio and audience. It may be distantly related to hear, possibly coming from same Indo-European root. Escuchar comes from the Latin verb auscultare. It is related to the English verb to auscultate, a medical term for using a stethoscope to listen to the internal sounds of the body.