The verb oír means “to hear.” It is used to describe the action of perceiving sound. Oír is irregular in several tenses and requires stem changes. It also uses the preposition a when hearing people or animals.

Conjugations

Oír is irregular and stem-changing in many forms. Below are the conjugations in the most important tenses:

Present Indicative

Spanish Subject Pronoun	Spanish Oír	English Oír	Spanish Example	English Example
yo	oigo	I hear	Yo oigo música clásica.	I hear classical music.
tú	oyes	you hear	¿Oyes el ruido?	Do you hear the noise?
él/ella/usted	oye	he/she hears	Ella oye a su hermano.	She hears her brother.
nosotros/as	oímos	we hear	Oímos la lluvia caer.	We hear the rain falling.
vosotros/as	oís	you all hear	¿Oís los pájaros?	Do you all hear the birds?
ellos/as/ustedes	oyen	they hear	Ellos oyen la alarma.	They hear the alarm.

They hear the alarm.

Ellos oían la alarma.

Ellos oyen la alarma.

Ellos oyeron la alarma.

Ellos oímos la alarma.

Ellos oyen la alarma.

'Oyen' is the third-person plural present indicative form, indicating a current action. It matches 'ellos' and refers to hearing the alarm now.

Preterite Indicative

Spanish Subject Pronoun	Spanish Oír	English Oír	Spanish Example	English Example
yo	oí	I heard	Ayer oí una noticia.	Yesterday I heard some news.
tú	oíste	you heard	Oíste bien la explicación.	You heard the explanation well.
él/ella/usted	oyó	he/she heard	Ella oyó un golpe fuerte.	She heard a loud bang.
nosotros/as	oímos	we heard	Oímos música en la fiesta.	We heard music at the party.
vosotros/as	oísteis	you all heard	Oísteis los anuncios.	You all heard the announcements.
ellos/as/ustedes	oyeron	they heard	Oyeron la sirena temprano.	They heard the siren early.

Imperfect Indicative

Spanish Subject Pronoun	Spanish Oír	English Oír	Spanish Example	English Example
yo	oía	I used to hear	De niño, yo oía cuentos.	As a child, I used to hear stories.
tú	oías	you used to hear	Tú oías la radio por la noche.	You used to hear the radio at night.
él/ella/usted	oía	he/she used to hear	Él oía sus canciones favoritas.	He used to hear his favorite songs.
nosotros/as	oíamos	we used to hear	Oíamos voces lejanas.	We used to hear distant voices.
vosotros/as	oíais	you all used to hear	Oíais el viento en los árboles.	You all used to hear the wind in the trees.
ellos/as/ustedes	oían	they used to hear	Oían los pasos en el pasillo.	They used to hear footsteps in the hallway.

As a child, I used to hear stories.

De niño, yo oí cuentos.

De niño, yo oía cuentos.

De niño, yo oigo cuentos.

De niño, yo oyó cuentos.

De niño, yo oía cuentos.

'Oía' is the first-person singular imperfect form, used for repeated or habitual actions in the past.

Future Indicative

Spanish Subject Pronoun	Spanish Oír	English Oír	Spanish Example	English Example
yo	oiré	I will hear	Mañana oiré el concierto.	Tomorrow I will hear the concert.
tú	oirás	you will hear	Oirás noticias importantes.	You will hear important news.
él/ella/usted	oirá	he/she will hear	Ella oirá el discurso.	She will hear the speech.
nosotros/as	oiremos	we will hear	Oiremos el informe juntos.	We will hear the report together.
vosotros/as	oiréis	you all will hear	Oiréis los resultados pronto.	You all will hear the results soon.
ellos/as/ustedes	oirán	they will hear	Oirán el llamado de atención.	They will hear the warning call.

Conditional Indicative

Spanish Subject Pronoun	Spanish Oír	English Oír	Spanish Example	English Example
yo	oiría	I would hear	Yo oiría tus consejos.	I would hear your advice.
tú	oirías	you would hear	Oirías mejor con silencio.	You would hear better in silence.
él/ella/usted	oiría	he/she would hear	Ella oiría la verdad.	She would hear the truth.
nosotros/as	oiríamos	we would hear	Oiríamos los rumores.	We would hear the rumors.
vosotros/as	oiríais	you all would hear	Oiríais más si prestáis atención.	You all would hear more if you pay attention.
ellos/as/ustedes	oirían	they would hear	Oirían los comentarios.	They would hear the comments.

Present Subjunctive

Spanish Subject Pronoun	Spanish Oír	English Oír	Spanish Example	English Example
yo	oiga	I hear	Espero que yo oiga bien.	I hope I hear well.
tú	oigas	you hear	Que tú oigas la noticia pronto.	May you hear the news soon.
él/ella/usted	oiga	he/she hears	Ojalá ella oiga mi mensaje.	I hope she hears my message.
nosotros/as	oigamos	we hear	Es bueno que oigamos opiniones.	It’s good that we hear opinions.
vosotros/as	oigáis	you all hear	Que oigáis sin problemas.	May you all hear without problems.
ellos/as/ustedes	oigan	they hear	Que oigan lo que pasó.	May they hear what happened.

I hope I hear well.

Espero que yo oigo bien.

Espero que yo oiga bien.

Espero que yo oí bien.

Espero que yo oír bien.

Espero que yo oiga bien.

'Oiga' is the first-person singular present subjunctive form, used after verbs like 'esperar' that express hope or doubt.

Imperfect Subjunctive (ra)

Spanish Subject Pronoun	Spanish Oír	English Oír	Spanish Example	English Example
yo	oyera	I heard	Si yo oyera eso, reiría.	If I heard that, I would laugh.
tú	oyeras	you heard	Si tú oyeras más, entenderías.	If you heard more, you would understand.
él/ella/usted	oyera	he/she heard	Si ella oyera la verdad, cambiaría.	If she heard the truth, she would change.
nosotros/as	oyéramos	we heard	Si oyéramos mejor, no fallaríamos.	If we heard better, we wouldn’t make mistakes.
vosotros/as	oyerais	you all heard	Si oyerais a tiempo, evitaríais problemas.	If you all heard in time, you would avoid problems.
ellos/as/ustedes	oyeran	they heard	Si oyeran los consejos, mejorarían.	If they heard the advice, they would improve.

Present Perfect Indicative

Spanish Subject Pronoun	Spanish Form	English Form	Spanish Example	English Example
yo	he oído	I have heard	Yo he oído esa canción.	I have heard that song.
tú	has oído	you have heard	Tú has oído mi opinión.	You have heard my opinion.
él/ella/usted	ha oído	he/she has heard	Ella ha oído rumores.	She has heard rumors.
nosotros/as	hemos oído	we have heard	Hemos oído todo.	We have heard everything.
vosotros/as	habéis oído	you all have heard	Habéis oído las instrucciones.	You all have heard the instructions.
ellos/as/ustedes	han oído	they have heard	Han oído la noticia temprano.	They have heard the news early.

Usage

Meaning

Oír means to physically hear or perceive sound.
It does not imply intention or attention; just that the sound reaches the ears.

Oír + Direct Object

Directly followed by the thing heard.
Example: Oigo música. (I hear music.)

Oír + a + Person/Animal

Use a before a person or animal that is being heard.
Example: Oigo a mi madre. (I hear my mother.)
Example: Oigo a los perros. (I hear the dogs.)

Oír vs. Escuchar

Oír = hear (passive, just perceiving sound).
Escuchar = listen (active, paying attention).
Example:

Oigo ruido. (I hear noise.)
Escucho música. (I’m listening to music.)

Common Expressions

¡Oye! = Hey! / Listen!
Oír campanas y no saber dónde = to be confused or uncertain.
Oír de labios de alguien = to hear something directly from someone.

Examples

Simple Sentences

Spanish	English
Oigo el canto de los pájaros.	I hear the birds singing.
¿Oyes el timbre?	Do you hear the doorbell?
Oímos el trueno anoche.	We heard thunder last night.

With a + Person/Animal

Spanish	English
Oigo a mi vecino hablar.	I hear my neighbor talking.
Oye a los niños jugar.	She hears the children playing.
Oí a los gatos en el tejado.	I heard the cats on the roof.

With Other Verbs/Pronouns

Spanish	English
No le oigo bien.	I don’t hear him/her well.
¿Me oyes?	Do you hear me?
Siempre oigo música mientras estudio.	I always hear music while I study.

Conditional and Future

Spanish	English
Oiría cualquier cosa por estar allí.	I would hear anything to be there.
Oirás noticias dentro de poco.	You will hear news soon.

Additional Notes

Accents

In the preterite (oí, oíste, oyeron), the í is accented.
In the participle, it is oído (with an accent on the í).

Irregularities

Present and other tenses use oy- (oigo, oyes, oyen).
Preterite third singular/plural use oyó / oyeron.
Imperfect subjunctive uses oyer-.

Summary

Oír means “to hear” and is irregular in many forms.
Use a before people/animals: oír a alguien.
Differ from escuchar (listening vs. hearing).
Important tenses: present, preterite, imperfect, subjunctive, participle.
Practice with real sentences to master usage.

Flashcards (1 of 59)

English Oír: I hear
English Example: I hear classical music.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

Spanish

Oír: to hear