A brightly colored illustration showing a small, simplified character sitting intently next to a vintage, red portable radio. The character has a hand cupped to their ear, demonstrating focused attention on the sound source.

escucharlo

es-koo-CHAR-loh (stress on 'char')

to listen to it?referring to a masculine singular object or concept (e.g., a song, a piece of advice),to hear him?referring to a specific male person

Also:to play it?referring to music or audio

Quick Reference

infinitiveescuchar

gerundescuchando

past Participleescuchado

📝 In Action

Quiero escuchar el nuevo álbum. Quiero escucharlo.

I want to listen to the new album. I want to listen to it.

Tienes que escucharlo antes de tomar una decisión.

You have to hear him out (or listen to it) before making a decision.

Estoy intentando escucharlo, pero hay mucho ruido.

I am trying to listen to him/it, but there is a lot of noise.

Word Connections

Synonyms

oírlo (to hear it (often passively))
atenderlo (to pay attention to him)

Common Collocations

tener que escucharlo – to have to listen to it
poder escucharlo – to be able to listen to it

💡 Grammar Points

Two Words, One Action

This word is the verb escuchar (to listen) with the direct object pronoun lo (him/it) attached. This structure is used when the verb is in its base form (infinitive).

The Necessary Accent Mark

When you attach a pronoun to the end of an infinitive, you must add an accent mark (tilde) to the third-to-last syllable (es-cu-CHAR-lo) to keep the correct sound pattern.

Placement Options

You can either attach lo to the infinitive (escucharlo) or separate it and put it before the conjugated verb that controls it (Lo quiero escuchar - I want to listen to it).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Forgetting the Accent

Mistake: "No quiero escucharlo."

Correction: No quiero escucharlo.

Mixing up 'lo' and 'le'

Mistake: "Quiero escucharle (when referring to a song)."

Correction: Quiero escucharlo.

⭐ Usage Tips

Listening vs. Hearing

Escuchar means 'to listen actively,' while oír means 'to hear passively.' Since this word uses escuchar, it implies intentional listening.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: escucharlo

Question 1 of 2

Which of these sentences correctly uses the pronoun placement rules for 'escucharlo'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

escuchar(to listen) - verb

la escucha(listening / surveillance) - noun

oyente(listener) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'escucharlo' have an accent mark when 'escuchar' does not?

The accent mark is added when you attach a pronoun to an infinitive or gerund. It ensures that the stress stays on the last syllable of the original verb, preventing the stress from naturally shifting to the added pronoun.

Can I use 'escucharlo' to refer to a group of people?

No. *Lo* is singular. If you were referring to a group of people (masculine or mixed gender), you would use the plural pronoun *los*, making the word *escucharlos*.