Oír Conjugation in Spanish

oír means "to hear" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about hearing — music, voices, news and everything your ears pick up, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of oír in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Oír is a irregular -ir verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo oigo la música desde mi casa. — "I hear the music from my house.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: oír
  • English: to hear
  • Verb type: Irregular -ir verb
  • Gerund: oyendo
  • Past participle: oído
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + oído)

Full conjugation table

Every tense of oír with all six persons. The gerund is oyendo and the past participle is oído.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo oigo
tú oyes
él/ella/Ud. oye
nosotros/as oímos
vosotros/as oís
ellos/ellas/Uds. oyen

Preterite (past)

Person Form
yo oí
tú oíste
él/ella/Ud. oyó
nosotros/as oímos
vosotros/as oísteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. oyeron

Imperfect (past)

Person Form
yo oía
tú oías
él/ella/Ud. oía
nosotros/as oíamos
vosotros/as oíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. oían

Future

Person Form
yo oiré
tú oirás
él/ella/Ud. oirá
nosotros/as oiremos
vosotros/as oiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. oirán

Conditional

Person Form
yo oiría
tú oirías
él/ella/Ud. oiría
nosotros/as oiríamos
vosotros/as oiríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. oirían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he oído
tú has oído
él/ella/Ud. ha oído
nosotros/as hemos oído
vosotros/as habéis oído
ellos/ellas/Uds. han oído

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había oído
tú habías oído
él/ella/Ud. había oído
nosotros/as habíamos oído
vosotros/as habíais oído
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían oído

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré oído
tú habrás oído
él/ella/Ud. habrá oído
nosotros/as habremos oído
vosotros/as habréis oído
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán oído

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría oído
tú habrías oído
él/ella/Ud. habría oído
nosotros/as habríamos oído
vosotros/as habríais oído
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían oído

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo oiga
tú oigas
él/ella/Ud. oiga
nosotros/as oigamos
vosotros/as oigáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. oigan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo oyera
tú oyeras
él/ella/Ud. oyera
nosotros/as oyéramos
vosotros/as oyerais
ellos/ellas/Uds. oyeran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú oye
él/ella/Ud. oiga
nosotros/as oigamos
vosotros/as oíd
ellos/ellas/Uds. oigan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú oigas
él/ella/Ud. oiga
nosotros/as oigamos
vosotros/as oigáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. oigan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish
Gerund oyendo
Past participle oído

How to use each tense

Each tense below explains when to use it with oír, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.

Present indicative

The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: Yo oigo la música.

Preterite (past)

The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: Ayer yo oí la música.

Imperfect (past)

The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".

This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.

Example: En aquella época, yo oía la música.

Future

The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").

This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.

Example: Mañana yo oiré la música.

Conditional

The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.

This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.

Example: Yo oiría la música si pudiera.

Present perfect

The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: Yo ya he oído la música.

Pluperfect

The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: Yo ya había oído la música antes.

Future perfect

The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: Para mañana yo ya habré oído la música.

Conditional perfect

The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: Yo habría oído la música si hubiera podido.

Present subjunctive

The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: Espero que él oiga la música.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: Si él oyera la música, sería perfecto.

Imperative (affirmative)

Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: ¡Oye la música!

Imperative (negative)

Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.

oír is irregular in this tense, so memorise the forms in the table above instead of applying the regular endings.

Example: No oigas la música.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with oír, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.

  1. Yo oigo la música desde mi casa. — "I hear the music from my house."
  2. ¿Tú oyes la música ahora? — "Do you hear the music now?"
  3. Ayer oí la música en la calle. — "Yesterday I heard the music in the street."
  4. Ella oía la música cada noche. — "She used to hear the music every night."
  5. Mañana oiré la música en el concierto. — "Tomorrow I will hear the music at the concert."
  6. Yo oiría la música si abriera la ventana. — "I would hear the music if I opened the window."
  7. Ya he oído la música hoy. — "I have already heard the music today."
  8. Espero que oiga la música. — "I hope he hears the music."

Common mistakes

The errors learners actually make with oír — and how to fix them.

  • Wrong: *Yo oyo la música. → Right: Yo oigo la música.. The present yo form is oigo, with a g: oigo, not oyo. Oír is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, and the yo form is the first surprise.
  • Wrong: *Él oyó la música — learners often write oió or forget the y. → Right: Él oyó la música.. The preterite third person is oyó, with y and an accent. The preterite uses the stem oy-: oí, oíste, oyó, oímos, oísteis, oyeron.
  • Wrong: *El gerundio es oiendo — the gerund changes too. → Right: Está oyendo la música.. The gerund is oyendo, with y: oyendo, not oiendo. The same y appears in the preterite third person.
  • Wrong: *Espero que tú oyes la música. → Right: Espero que tú oigas la música.. After espero que, use the subjunctive oigas, with the g from the yo form: oiga, oigas, oiga. The indicative oyes is wrong after espero que.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on oír. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.

  1. What is the yo form of oír in the present indicative?

    • a) oigo
    • b) oye
    • c) oyes
    • d) oímos

  2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of oír in the preterite (past)?

    • a) oyó
    • b) oíste
    • c) oímos
    • d) oí

  3. What is the nosotros/as form of oír in the imperfect (past)?

    • a) oías
    • b) oía
    • c) oía
    • d) oíamos

  4. What is the tú form of oír in the future?

    • a) oiremos
    • b) oirá
    • c) oiré
    • d) oirás

  5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of oír in the conditional?

    • a) oiría
    • b) oirían
    • c) oiría
    • d) oirías

  6. What is the yo form of oír in the present subjunctive?

    • a) oiga
    • b) oigamos
    • c) oiga
    • d) oigas

  7. What is the gerund of oír?

    • a) oír
    • b) oye
    • c) oído
    • d) oyendo

  8. What is the past participle of oír?

    • a) oyendo
    • b) oído
    • c) oigo
    • d) he oído

  9. What does oír mean in English?

    • a) to destroy
    • b) to hear
    • c) to get married
    • d) to give (a gift)

  10. The form oí belongs to which tense?

  • a) Future
  • b) Present
  • c) Imperfect
  • d) Preterite

Answer key

  1. oigo — The yo form in the present indicative is oigo — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
  2. oyó — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is oyó — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
  3. oíamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is oíamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
  4. oirás — The tú form in the future is oirás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
  5. oirían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is oirían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
  6. oiga — The yo form in the present subjunctive is oiga — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
  7. oyendo — The gerund is oyendo — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy oyendo). The past participle is oído.
  8. oído — The past participle is oído — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he oído).
  9. to hear — oír means "to hear".
  10. Preterite — oí is the yo form of the preterite of oír — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is oía.

Frequently asked questions

Is oír regular?

No — oír is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish. The present is oigo, oyes, oye, oímos, oís, oyen; the preterite is oí, oíste, oyó, oímos, oísteis, oyeron; the gerund is oyendo and the participle is oído. Learn it as a whole, not as a pattern.

What is the difference between oír and escuchar?

Oír means to hear — sounds reaching your ears, whether you want them or not. Escuchar means to listen — to pay attention on purpose. You hear (oyes) the traffic; you listen (escuchas) to the teacher. The classic line is: Oigo pero no escucho.

What is the past participle of oír?

Oído, with an accent: he oído, has oído, ha oído. The accent is part of the spelling, and the participle is irregular — it is not oido without the accent in the verified tables.

How do you say "I can't hear you" in Spanish?

No te oigo — literally "I don't hear you". For "I can't hear well", say No oigo bien. To ask someone to repeat, say ¿Perdón? or ¿Puedes repetir?

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