oír

Senses

1. 1.

   to hear

   to perceive sound with the ears

2. 2.

   to listen (to)

   to pay attention to sound

3. 3.

   to learn; to hear about

   to receive information or news

Examples

• "No puedo oír bien sin mis gafas."

  I can't hear well without my glasses.

• "¿Oíste las noticias sobre el accidente?"

  Did you hear about the accident?

• "Prefiero oír música clásica mientras trabajo."

  I prefer to listen to classical music while I work.

Usage

Common irregular verb. In many regions, *oír* and *escuchar* overlap semantically, but *oír* emphasizes passive hearing while *escuchar* emphasizes active listening. Expressions like *oír hablar de* (to hear about) and *oír decir* (to hear tell) are very common.