Oír Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
oír means "to hear" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows oír in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of oír, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with oír
Hearing a sound
Oír means to hear: oigo un ruido. It is the physical sense of hearing, and it is different from escuchar, which means to listen on purpose.
- Cada día, yo oigo un ruido extraño en la cocina. — "Every day, I hear a strange noise in the kitchen."
- Hoy, él / ella oye la música desde mi ventana. — "Today, he / she hears the music from my window."
- Ayer, yo oí a mi madre llamarme. — "Yesterday, I heard my mother calling me."
- Antes, yo oía las noticias en la radio. — "Before, I used to hear the news on the radio."
- Mañana, yo oiré un ruido extraño en la cocina. — "Tomorrow, I will hear a strange noise in the kitchen."
- Hoy, yo he oído la música desde mi ventana. — "Today, I have heard the music from my window."
Hearing news
Oír las noticias means to hear the news. It is the verb for information that reaches you, on the radio, on television or from other people.
- Cada día, yo oigo a mi madre llamarme. — "Every day, I hear my mother calling me."
- Hoy, él / ella oye las noticias en la radio. — "Today, he / she hears the news on the radio."
- Ayer, yo oí un ruido extraño en la cocina. — "Yesterday, I heard a strange noise in the kitchen."
- Antes, yo oía la música desde mi ventana. — "Before, I used to hear the music from my window."
- Mañana, yo oiré a mi madre llamarme. — "Tomorrow, I will hear my mother calling me."
- Hoy, yo he oído las noticias en la radio. — "Today, I have heard the news on the radio."
Oír in conversation
The two dialogues below show oír in natural conversation. The first is about hearing a sound, and the second is about hearing news. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú oyes un ruido extraño en la cocina? — "Do you hear a strange noise in the kitchen?"
- Sí, yo oigo un ruido extraño en la cocina cada día. — "Yes, I hear a strange noise in the kitchen every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú oíste la música desde mi ventana? — "And yesterday? Did you hear the music from my window?"
- Sí, ayer yo oí la música desde mi ventana. — "Yes, yesterday I heard the music from my window."
- Mañana yo oiré a mi madre llamarme también. — "Tomorrow I will hear my mother calling me too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros oís a mi madre llamarme? — "Do you hear my mother calling me?"
- Sí, nosotros oímos a mi madre llamarme los fines de semana. — "Yes, we hear my mother calling me at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos oyen las noticias en la radio? — "And them? Do they hear the news on the radio?"
- Sí, ellos oyen las noticias en la radio también. — "Yes, they hear the news on the radio too."
- Mañana nosotros oiremos a mi madre llamarme otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will hear my mother calling me again."
Common mistakes with oír in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Ayer yo oí un ruido, pero no lo oí.
- Right: Ayer yo oí un ruido extraño en la cocina.
- Why: The second clause contradicts the first. Oír means you heard it, so do not add that you did not hear it.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Ayer él oí un ruido.
- Right: Ayer él oyó un ruido.
- Why: The third person preterite is oyó, with a y. Oí is the yo form: yo oí un ruido.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Oír es lo mismo que escuchar.
- Right: Oír means to hear; escuchar means to listen.
- Why: Oír is passive: sounds reach you. Escuchar is active: you pay attention on purpose. You oír music from your window; you escuchar a song you love.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo oí un ruido extraño en la cocina.
- Right: Cada día, yo oigo un ruido extraño en la cocina.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo oigo un ruido extraño en la cocina ayer por la mañana.
- Right: Ayer por la mañana yo oí un ruido extraño en la cocina.
- Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.
Quiz: oír in use
Ten questions on oír across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of oír in the present tense?
- (a) oye
- (b) oímos
- (c) oigo
- (d) oyes
Answer: (c) oigo. The i form in the present is oigo.
2. What is the he / she form of oír in the present tense?
- (a) oímos
- (b) oye
- (c) oigo
- (d) oyes
Answer: (b) oye. The he / she form in the present is oye.
3. What is the he / she form of oír in the preterite tense?
- (a) oyó
- (b) oí
- (c) oíste
- (d) oímos
Answer: (a) oyó. The he / she form in the preterite is oyó.
4. What is the i form of oír in the imperfect tense?
- (a) oigo
- (b) oí
- (c) oiré
- (d) oía
Answer: (d) oía. The i form in the imperfect is oía. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of oír in the future tense?
- (a) oirá
- (b) oiremos
- (c) oiré
- (d) oirás
Answer: (c) oiré. The i form in the future is oiré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) oí
- (b) oía
- (c) oigo
- (d) he oído
Answer: (d) he oído. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he oído.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ un ruido extraño en la cocina.
- (a) oía
- (b) oiga
- (c) oye
- (d) oyó
Answer: (b) oiga. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: oiga. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of oír in the present tense?
- (a) oigo
- (b) oyes
- (c) oye
- (d) oímos
Answer: (d) oímos. The we form in the present is oímos.
9. What is the i form of oír in the preterite tense?
- (a) oyó
- (b) oímos
- (c) oí
- (d) oíste
Answer: (c) oí. The i form in the preterite is oí.
10. What is the they form of oír in the present tense?
- (a) oye
- (b) oyen
- (c) oigo
- (d) oyes
Answer: (b) oyen. The they form in the present is oyen.
Frequently asked questions about oír
Is the preterite of oír regular?
No. The third person forms use y: él oyó, ellos oyeron, and the gerund is oyendo. The yo form is oí, with an accent on the í.
What is the gerund of oír?
Oyendo. The progressive is estar + gerund: estoy oyendo música. The past participle is oído: he oído las noticias.
What is the difference between oír and escuchar?
Oír is hearing without trying. Escuchar is listening on purpose. You oír a noise; you escuchar a song.
How can I practise oír?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.