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"Escuchando" is a form of "escuchar", a transitive verb which is often translated as "to listen to". "Oyendo" is a form of "oír", a transitive verb which is often translated as "to hear". Learn more about the difference between "escuchando" and "oyendo" below.
escuchar(
ehs
-
koo
-
chahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to listen to
Escucha al profesor siempre que te dé instrucciones.Always listen to the teacher when you are given instructions.
Ella suele escuchar jazz de camino al trabajo.She usually listens to jazz on her way to work.
2. (to discern) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
3. (to heed)
a. to listen to
¿Me escucharás si te digo que no desesperes?Will you listen to me if I tell you not to panic?
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
escucharse
A reflexive verb is a verb that indicates that the subject performs an action on itself (e.g., Miguel se lava.).
a. to listen to oneself
A veces me escucho y no sé lo que digo.Sometimes I listen to myself and I don't know what I'm saying.
b. to hear oneself
Le encanta escucharse contando sus cuentos y haciendo a sus amigas reir.She loves hearing herself telling her stories and making her friends laugh.
c. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
¿Pero tú te escuchas? ¿Sabes lo loco que suena eso?Listen to yourself! Do you know how wacky that sounds?
Mi jefa no para de hablar en reuniones porque que le encanta escucharse.My boss never stops talking in meetings because she loves the sound of her own voice.
A reciprocal verb is a verb that indicates that two or more subjects perform an action on each other (e.g., Ellos se abrazan.).
a. to listen to each other
No sé cuándo paramos de escucharnos.I don't know when we stopped listening to each other.
oír(
oh
-
eer
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to hear
Las paredes son tan finas que oigo a los vecinos hablar.The walls are so thin I can hear the neighbors talking.
a. to hear
Me quejé a mucha gente, pero nadie quiso oírme.I complained to many people, but nobody wanted to hear me.
a. to get (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
“No lo vuelvas a hacer, ¿me oyes?” dijo el maestro."Don't do it again, got it?" said the teacher.
oírse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
A reciprocal verb is a verb that indicates that two or more subjects perform an action on each other (e.g., Ellos se abrazan.).
a. to hear each other
Fue una llamada muy frustrante porque no nos oíamos nada.It was a very frustrating call because we couldn't hear each other at all.
