escuchar

Perhaps taken, in this form, from Spanish escuchar.

• IPA^(key): /eskuˈt͡ʃaɾ/ [es.kuˈt͡ʃaɾ]

escuchar (first-person singular indicative present escucho, past participle escucháu)

1. to listen

Inherited from Latin ascultāre, variant of auscultāre. Doublet of auscultar, a borrowing from Latin.

• IPA^(key): /eskuˈt͡ʃaɾ/ [es.kuˈt͡ʃaɾ]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: es‧cu‧char

escuchar (first-person singular present escucho, first-person singular preterite escuché, past participle escuchado)

1. (transitive) to listen to, to hear out

   ¿Has escuchado su último disco?

   Have you listened to her latest record?

2. (intransitive) to listen

   Synonym: oír

   Cállate y escucha.

   Be quiet and listen.

3. (Latin America, informal) to hear

   Synonym: oír

   Claudia trabajaba en su oficina cuando escuchó el staccato de chasquidos secos: pá-pá-pá. ― Claudia was working in her office when she heard the staccato of dry clicks: bang-bang-bang.

In careful speech, the verbs escuchar and oír have distinct meanings, with the former generally meaning "to listen (to)" and the latter meaning "to hear". In casual Spanish, however, the two verbs are frequently used interchangeably with either meaning. This usage (especially common in Latin America, though sometimes also found in Spain) is considered valid by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) on the basis that it has been present since Middle Spanish so it cannot be proscribed.^[1] Despite this, it is recommended to use these two words with their original meanings unless context already makes it clear what is meant.

• “escuchar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024