Gerund or Infinitive

Question

Which translation is more correct.

It was the first time I heard him speak Spanish.

a.) Fue la primera vez que te oí hablando español.

b.) Fue la primera vez que te oí hablar español.

c.) Los dos son incorrectos

Note: I just gave it the multiple test feel so it would be simpler. It would do me well to hear your responses, opinions, etc. Gracias, y os espero.

Answer 1

It was the first time I heard him speak Spanish.

Fue la primera vez que le/lo oi hablar español.

It was the first time I heard him speaking Spanish.

Fue la primera vez que le/lo oí hablando español.

In English you can also use speak or speaking. The same nuance you have in English is the one you have in Spanish.

Answer 2

Hello Carlos,

Welcome to our Spanishdict Forum

It was the first time I heard him speak Spanish

I would have to say C: that neither sentence is complehely correct!

I think that you would say: Fue la primera vez que lo oí hablar español

However, I am not a native Spanish speaker so you may wish to wait for confirmation.

The direct object pronoun (d.o.p) for him is lo not te; te is the d.o.p for you (familiar form!

I hope this helps

Corrijan mi español si es necesario, por favor

Answer 3

I would wait for someone else who is fluent, but I would say that both are incorrect. A and B both use te, instead of le. Te would mean that 'It was the first time I heard you speak Spanish', while le would imply 'It was the first time I heard him speak Spanish,' which is what you asked. Also, I think that the use of the gerund in A sounds more correct than the infinitive in B, although again I would wait for someone to confirm that for me.

¡Buena Suerte!