Introduction
Escuchar means «to listen to». Escuchar means to listen to, with attention: music, a teacher, a podcast, a friend. It is a regular -ar verb. Spanish separates escuchar (active listening) from oír (simply hearing), a distinction English does not make. It is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of escuchar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo escucho música todos los días.» — I listen music every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | escuchar |
| English | to listen to |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | escuchando |
| Past participle | escuchado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: escuchando · Past participle: escuchado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escucho |
| tú | escuchas |
| él/ella/Ud. | escucha |
| nosotros/as | escuchamos |
| vosotros/as | escucháis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escuchan |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For escuchar, the yo form is escucho, as in «Yo escucho» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escuché |
| tú | escuchaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | escuchó |
| nosotros/as | escuchamos |
| vosotros/as | escuchasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escucharon |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo escuché» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escuchaba |
| tú | escuchabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | escuchaba |
| nosotros/as | escuchábamos |
| vosotros/as | escuchabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escuchaban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo escuchaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escucharé |
| tú | escucharás |
| él/ella/Ud. | escuchará |
| nosotros/as | escucharemos |
| vosotros/as | escucharéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escucharán |
The future tense states what will happen. For escuchar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo escucharé». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escucharía |
| tú | escucharías |
| él/ella/Ud. | escucharía |
| nosotros/as | escucharíamos |
| vosotros/as | escucharíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escucharían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo escucharía» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he escuchado |
| tú | has escuchado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha escuchado |
| nosotros/as | hemos escuchado |
| vosotros/as | habéis escuchado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han escuchado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he escuchado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había escuchado |
| tú | habías escuchado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había escuchado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos escuchado |
| vosotros/as | habíais escuchado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían escuchado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había escuchado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré escuchado |
| tú | habrás escuchado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá escuchado |
| nosotros/as | habremos escuchado |
| vosotros/as | habréis escuchado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán escuchado |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré escuchado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría escuchado |
| tú | habrías escuchado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría escuchado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos escuchado |
| vosotros/as | habríais escuchado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían escuchado |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría escuchado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escuche |
| tú | escuches |
| él/ella/Ud. | escuche |
| nosotros/as | escuchemos |
| vosotros/as | escuchéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escuchen |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él escuche». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escuchara |
| tú | escucharas |
| él/ella/Ud. | escuchara |
| nosotros/as | escucháramos |
| vosotros/as | escucharais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escucharan |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él escuchara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | escucha |
| él/ella/Ud. | escuche |
| nosotros/as | escuchemos |
| vosotros/as | escuchad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escuchen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Escucha!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | escuches |
| él/ella/Ud. | escuche |
| nosotros/as | escuchemos |
| vosotros/as | escuchéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escuchen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No escuches!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo escucho música todos los días. — I listen music every day.
- Mi hermana escucha música mucho. — My sister listens music a lot.
- Ayer yo escuché música por la tarde. — Yesterday I listened music in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo escuchaba música muchas veces. — As a child, I used to listen music often.
- Mañana yo escucharé música sin falta. — Tomorrow I will listen music without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo escucharía música ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would listen music right now.
- Hoy yo he escuchado al profesor dos veces. — Today I have listened to the teacher twice.
- Espero que él escuche música pronto. — I hope he listens music soon.
- ¡Escucha al profesor con atención! — Listen to the teacher carefully!
- Ahora mismo estoy escuchando música. — Right now I am listening music.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: escuche
Right: escuché
The yo preterite of escuchar carries a written accent: escuché. Without it, escuche is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo escuchaba música.
Right: Ayer yo escuché música.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, escuché. The imperfect escuchaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Escucho el profesor.
Right: Escucho al profesor.
Before a person, escuchar needs the personal a: escuchar al profesor, escuchar a María.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú escuchas música.
Right: Espero que tú escuches música.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: escuches, not the indicative escuchas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No escucha música.
Right: No escuches música.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no escuches. The affirmative escucha can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of escuchar in the present tense?
- (a) escucha
- (b) escuchamos
- (c) escuchas
- (d) escucho
2. What is the él/ella form of escuchar in the preterite?
- (a) escuchamos
- (b) escuchaste
- (c) escuché
- (d) escuchó
3. What is the nosotros form of escuchar in the imperfect?
- (a) escuchaba
- (b) escuchabas
- (c) escuchábamos
4. What is the tú form of escuchar in the future tense?
- (a) escucharemos
- (b) escuchará
- (c) escucharás
- (d) escucharé
5. What is the ellos form of escuchar in the conditional?
- (a) escucharía
- (b) escucharían
- (c) escucharías
6. What is the yo form of escuchar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha escuchado
- (b) has escuchado
- (c) he escuchado
- (d) hemos escuchado
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of escuchar?
- (a) escuche
- (b) escuchemos
- (c) escuches
8. What is the nosotros form of escuchar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) escuchara
- (b) escucháramos
- (c) escucharas
9. What is the gerund of escuchar?
- (a) escuchado
- (b) escuchando
- (c) escuchar
- (d) escucho
10. What is the past participle of escuchar?
- (a) escuchado
- (b) escuchando
- (c) escuchar
- (d) escuché
Answer key
1. (d) escucho — In the present, the yo form of escuchar is escucho. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (d) escuchó — In the preterite, the el form of escuchar is escuchó. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (c) escuchábamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of escuchar is escuchábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) escucharás — In the future, the tu form of escuchar is escucharás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) escucharían — In the conditional, the ellos form of escuchar is escucharían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he escuchado — In the present perfect, the yo form of escuchar is he escuchado. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) escuches — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of escuchar is escuches. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) escucháramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of escuchar is escucháramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (b) escuchando — The gerund of escuchar is escuchando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy escuchando».
10. (a) escuchado — The past participle of escuchar is escuchado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he escuchado».
Frequently asked questions
Is escuchar regular or irregular?
Yes, escuchar is a regular -ar verb. Every tense follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of escuchar?
The gerund is escuchando and the past participle is escuchado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy escuchando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he escuchado»).
What is the difference between escuchar and oír?
Escuchar and oír are often confused. Oír is to hear (sounds reaching you); escuchar is to listen actively and on purpose.
How do I say «I listen» in Spanish?
Say «Yo escucho». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with escuchar?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (escuché) for a single finished event and the imperfect (escuchaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: escuchar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: escuchar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: preguntar
- Related verb: responder
- Related verb: cantar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz