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"Listening" is a form of "listen", an intransitive verb which is often translated as "escuchar". "Speaking" is a form of "speaking", an adjective which is often translated as "parlante". Learn more about the difference between "listening" and "speaking" below.
listen(
lihs
-
ihn
)An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. escucha (informal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).
A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).
Listen! I'm talking to you.¡Escucha! Te estoy hablando a ti.
b. escuche (formal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).
Pay attention and listen; this is important.Preste atención y escuche; esto es importante.
a. escuchen
Listen! I'm not going to repeat this explanation.¡Escuchen! No voy a repetir esta explicación.
speaking(
spi
-
kihng
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
a. parlante
We have a range of speaking clocks for the visually impaired.Tenemos una gama de relojes parlantes para las personas con deficiencias visuales.
b. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
I don't think Curtis and his brother are on speaking terms.Creo que Curtis y su hermano no se hablan.
Laura has a very soothing speaking voice.Laura tiene un tono de voz muy relajante.
c. con diálogo (film and theater)
He got his first speaking part when he was only nine.Consiguió su primer papel con diálogo cuando tenía solo nueve años.
d. hablado (film and theater)
She's had several speaking roles in movies, but nothing big.Ha tenido varios papeles hablados en las películas, pero nada de mayor importancia.
2. (literary) (striking)
A word or phrase restricted in usage to literature or established writing (e.g., sex, once upon a time).
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
3. (skill)
a. la oratoria (F)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Chris took a three-month course to improve his skills in speaking and rhetoric.Chris tomó un curso de tres meses para mejorar sus dotes de oratoria y retórica.
