y la razón es que no escuchas.
and the reason is that you don't listen.
A client tells Harvey flat out why he's saying no: he won't do business with someone who never listens to other people.
From Suits · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "listen" in Spanish
escuchar
verbregular -aryo escucho
"To listen" in Spanish is escuchar. It needs no extra word for "to": Escucho música means I listen to music. To tell someone to listen, say ¡Escucha! to a friend or ¡Escuche! to someone you call usted.
Hear "escuchar" in a real scene
One scene where someone says it. The video starts and stops on that line.
Escuchar, oír and other listening words
English has listen and hear. Spanish makes the same split.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| escuchar | to listen | With attention, on purpose: Escucho la radio. |
| oír | to hear | A sound reaches you: ¿Oyes eso? (Do you hear that?) |
| ¡Escucha! / ¡Escuche! | Listen! | The first is for a friend, the second for usted. |
| ¡Oye! | Hey! | A form of oír that people use to get your attention. |
| escuchar música | to listen to music | No a before a thing. |
| escuchar a alguien | to listen to someone | The personal a goes before a person: Escucha a tu madre. |
Tip: Teachers in Spain often say ¡Escuchad! to the whole class. It's the vosotros form.
Grammar: escuchar
Four points to use the verb with confidence.
A regular -ar verb
escucho, escuchas, escucha, escuchamos, escucháis, escuchan."To" is built in
Escuchar already means listen to: Escuchamos la radio. We listen to the radio.A before people
Escucho a mi profesor. With a thing there's no a: Escucho un podcast.Listening or hearing
Escuchar means you pay attention. Oír means a sound reaches you: Oigo un ruido, I hear a noise.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Escucho música.
I listen to music.
¿Escuchas música?
Are you listening to music?
Estudio y escucho música.
I study and listen to music.
Escucho.
I'm listening.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Escucho a la música
✓Escucho música
Don't add a before a thing. Escuchar already includes the "to".
✗Escucho mi madre
✓Escucho a mi madre
When you listen to a person, put the personal a in front of them.
✗es-KOO-shar (pronunciation)
✓es-koo-CHAR
The ch is the ch of church, and the stress goes on the last syllable.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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How to remember it
Escuchar hides cuchar, close to cuchara, spoon. Picture someone tapping a spoon on a glass, and the whole room goes quiet to listen.
Questions about "listen" in Spanish
How do you say listen in Spanish?
Escuchar. Escucho música is I listen to music, and ¡Escucha! means Listen!
How do you say "listen to me" in Spanish?
Escúchame to a friend, or escúcheme to someone you address as usted. Both carry an accent on the ú.
What's the difference between escuchar and oír?
Escuchar is listening on purpose. Oír is hearing, when a sound reaches you, as in ¿Oyes la lluvia?
How do you say "I'm listening" in Spanish?
Te escucho when you speak to one friend, or just Escucho. On the phone, Te escucho also means I can hear you.
