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 PronounSpanish OírEnglish OírSpanish ExampleEnglish Example
yooigoI hearYo oigo música clásica.I hear classical music.
oyesyou hear¿Oyes el ruido?Do you hear the noise?
él/ella/ustedoyehe/she hearsElla oye a su hermano.She hears her brother.
nosotros/asoímoswe hearOímos la lluvia caer.We hear the rain falling.
vosotros/asoísyou all hear¿Oís los pájaros?Do you all hear the birds?
ellos/as/ustedesoyenthey hearEllos oyen la alarma.They hear the alarm.

They hear the alarm.


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 PronounSpanish OírEnglish OírSpanish ExampleEnglish Example
yoI heardAyer oí una noticia.Yesterday I heard some news.
oísteyou heardOíste bien la explicación.You heard the explanation well.
él/ella/ustedoyóhe/she heardElla oyó un golpe fuerte.She heard a loud bang.
nosotros/asoímoswe heardOímos música en la fiesta.We heard music at the party.
vosotros/asoísteisyou all heardOísteis los anuncios.You all heard the announcements.
ellos/as/ustedesoyeronthey heardOyeron la sirena temprano.They heard the siren early.

Imperfect Indicative

Spanish Subject PronounSpanish OírEnglish OírSpanish ExampleEnglish Example
yooíaI used to hearDe niño, yo oía cuentos.As a child, I used to hear stories.
oíasyou used to hearTú oías la radio por la noche.You used to hear the radio at night.
él/ella/ustedoíahe/she used to hearÉl oía sus canciones favoritas.He used to hear his favorite songs.
nosotros/asoíamoswe used to hearOíamos voces lejanas.We used to hear distant voices.
vosotros/asoíaisyou all used to hearOíais el viento en los árboles.You all used to hear the wind in the trees.
ellos/as/ustedesoíanthey used to hearOían los pasos en el pasillo.They used to hear footsteps in the hallway.

As a child, I used to hear stories.


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 PronounSpanish OírEnglish OírSpanish ExampleEnglish Example
yooiréI will hearMañana oiré el concierto.Tomorrow I will hear the concert.
oirásyou will hearOirás noticias importantes.You will hear important news.
él/ella/ustedoiráhe/she will hearElla oirá el discurso.She will hear the speech.
nosotros/asoiremoswe will hearOiremos el informe juntos.We will hear the report together.
vosotros/asoiréisyou all will hearOiréis los resultados pronto.You all will hear the results soon.
ellos/as/ustedesoiránthey will hearOirán el llamado de atención.They will hear the warning call.

Conditional Indicative

Spanish Subject PronounSpanish OírEnglish OírSpanish ExampleEnglish Example
yooiríaI would hearYo oiría tus consejos.I would hear your advice.
oiríasyou would hearOirías mejor con silencio.You would hear better in silence.
él/ella/ustedoiríahe/she would hearElla oiría la verdad.She would hear the truth.
nosotros/asoiríamoswe would hearOiríamos los rumores.We would hear the rumors.
vosotros/asoiríaisyou all would hearOiríais más si prestáis atención.You all would hear more if you pay attention.
ellos/as/ustedesoiríanthey would hearOirían los comentarios.They would hear the comments.

Present Subjunctive

Spanish Subject PronounSpanish OírEnglish OírSpanish ExampleEnglish Example
yooigaI hearEspero que yo oiga bien.I hope I hear well.
oigasyou hearQue tú oigas la noticia pronto.May you hear the news soon.
él/ella/ustedoigahe/she hearsOjalá ella oiga mi mensaje.I hope she hears my message.
nosotros/asoigamoswe hearEs bueno que oigamos opiniones.It’s good that we hear opinions.
vosotros/asoigáisyou all hearQue oigáis sin problemas.May you all hear without problems.
ellos/as/ustedesoiganthey hearQue oigan lo que pasó.May they hear what happened.

I hope I hear well.


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 PronounSpanish OírEnglish OírSpanish ExampleEnglish Example
yooyeraI heardSi yo oyera eso, reiría.If I heard that, I would laugh.
oyerasyou heardSi tú oyeras más, entenderías.If you heard more, you would understand.
él/ella/ustedoyerahe/she heardSi ella oyera la verdad, cambiaría.If she heard the truth, she would change.
nosotros/asoyéramoswe heardSi oyéramos mejor, no fallaríamos.If we heard better, we wouldn’t make mistakes.
vosotros/asoyeraisyou all heardSi oyerais a tiempo, evitaríais problemas.If you all heard in time, you would avoid problems.
ellos/as/ustedesoyeranthey heardSi oyeran los consejos, mejorarían.If they heard the advice, they would improve.

Present Perfect Indicative

Spanish Subject PronounSpanish FormEnglish FormSpanish ExampleEnglish Example
yohe oídoI have heardYo he oído esa canción.I have heard that song.
has oídoyou have heardTú has oído mi opinión.You have heard my opinion.
él/ella/ustedha oídohe/she has heardElla ha oído rumores.She has heard rumors.
nosotros/ashemos oídowe have heardHemos oído todo.We have heard everything.
vosotros/ashabéis oídoyou all have heardHabéis oído las instrucciones.You all have heard the instructions.
ellos/as/ustedeshan oídothey have heardHan 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

SpanishEnglish
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

SpanishEnglish
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

SpanishEnglish
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

SpanishEnglish
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

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