Introduction
Escuchar means “to listen to”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Escuchar is the verb for listening to music, the radio or a podcast. The thing you listen to is the direct object, with no preposition. Escuchar a + person means to listen to someone. The personal a appears because the object is a person. This page shows escuchar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo escucho música todos los días.” — I listen to music every day.
Escuchar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how escuchar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use escuchar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo escucho música todos los días.” — I listen to music every day.
“¿Tú escuchas la radio por la mañana?” — Do you listen to the radio in the morning?
“El profesor escucha a los estudiantes.” — The teacher listens to the students.
“Nosotros escuchamos con atención en clase.” — We listen carefully in class.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show escuchar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo escuché un podcast nuevo.” — Yesterday I listened to a new podcast. (preterite)
“Mi padre escuchaba las noticias cada noche.” — My father used to listen to the news every night. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of escuchar stays the same.
“Nosotros escucharemos música en el coche mañana.” — We will listen to music in the car tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has escuchado el nuevo disco?” — Have you listened to the new album yet? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros escucháis música clásica.” — You listen to classical music.
“Ellos escuchan un podcast en el coche.” — They listen to a podcast in the car.
“Yo escucho a mi abuela con paciencia.” — I listen to my grandmother patiently.
“Mi padre escucha las noticias cada noche.” — My father listens to the news every night.
Escuchar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how escuchar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Sara: “¿Tú escuchas la radio por la mañana?” — Do you listen to the radio in the morning?
Diego: “Sí, yo escucho música todos los días.” — Yes, I listen to music every day.
Sara: “Nosotros escuchamos con atención en clase.” — We listen carefully in class.
Diego: “Y ellos escuchan un podcast en el coche.” — And they listen to a podcast in the car.
Sara: “Vosotros escucháis música clásica.” — You listen to classical music.
Diego: “Sí, y mi padre escucha las noticias cada noche.” — Yes, and my father listens to the news every night.
A short paragraph
Sara escucha música todos los días, y su padre escucha las noticias cada noche. Nosotros escuchamos con atención en clase, y ellos escuchan un podcast en el coche. Yo escucho a mi abuela con paciencia, y vosotros escucháis música clásica. Escuchar is part of every day, because listening to music, listening to someone and listening carefully are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with escuchar
These are the errors learners actually make with escuchar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo escucho a la música.” Right: “Yo escucho música.” Why: Music is a thing, not a person, so it takes no personal a: escucho música, not escucho a la música. The a appears before people: escucho a mi abuela.
Wrong: “Ellos escucha un podcast.” Right: “Ellos escuchan un podcast.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form escuchan. The singular escucha belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as el profesor.
Wrong: “Yo escucho música ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo escuché un podcast nuevo.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to escuché.
Wrong: “Nosotros escuchas con atención.” Right: “Nosotros escuchamos con atención.” Why: Nosotros needs escuchamos. The tú form escuchas belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos escucho todos los días.” Right: “Ellos escuchan todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form escuchan, not the yo form escucho. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: escuchar in use
Ten questions on escuchar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ música clásica.” (You listen to classical music.)
- (a) escuchas
- (b) escucháis
- (c) escucho
Answer: escucháis — The vosotros/as form of escuchar in the present tense is escucháis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ un podcast en el coche.” (They listen to a podcast in the car.)
- (a) escuchan
- (b) escucho
- (c) escuchas
Answer: escuchan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of escuchar in the present tense is escuchan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ un podcast nuevo.” (Yesterday I listened to a new podcast.)
- (a) escuchaste
- (b) escuchó
- (c) escuché
Answer: escuché — In the preterite, the yo form of escuchar is escuché.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Mi padre ______ las noticias cada noche.” (My father used to listen to the news every night.)
- (a) escuchabas
- (b) escuchaba
- (c) escuchaba
Answer: escuchaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of escuchar is escuchaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ música en el coche mañana.” (We will listen to music in the car tomorrow.)
- (a) escucharemos
- (b) escucharé
- (c) escucharás
Answer: escucharemos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of escuchar is escucharemos.
6. What does escuchar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to listen to
Answer: to listen to — Escuchar means “to listen to”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo escucho música.
- (b) Yo escucho a la música.
- (c) Ellos escucha un podcast.
Answer: Yo escucho música. — “Yo escucho música.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I listen to my grandmother patiently.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo escuchan a mi abuela con paciencia.
- (b) Yo escucho a mi abuela con paciencia.
- (c) Mi padre escucha las noticias cada noche.
Answer: Yo escucho a mi abuela con paciencia. — “Yo escucho a mi abuela con paciencia.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of escuchar in the present tense?
- (a) escucho
- (b) escuchas
- (c) escuchamos
Answer: escuchamos — The nosotros form is escuchamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo escuché un podcast nuevo.
- (b) Nosotros escucharemos música en el coche mañana.
- (c) Yo escucho música todos los días.
Answer: Yo escucho música todos los días. — “Yo escucho música todos los días.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I listen to music' in Spanish?
Say 'Escucho música'. The music follows directly with no preposition. For a routine: 'Escucho música todos los días'.
How do you say 'Listen to me' in Spanish?
Say 'Escúchame' to one person, or 'Escuchadme' to several people in Spain. The pronoun attaches to the imperative: escucha + me becomes escúchame, with an accent to keep the stress.
Can escuchar be used without an object?
Yes. 'Yo escucho con atención' means 'I listen carefully', with no object at all. Add an object only when you want to say what you listen to: 'Escucho música'.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of escuchar — every tense of escuchar in one place.
- Escuchar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on escuchar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of escuchar until they are automatic.