escuchó
es-koo-CHOH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Ella escuchó atentamente el discurso del presidente.
A1She listened carefully to the president's speech.
¿Usted escuchó lo que dijo el jefe ayer?
A2Did you (formal) hear what the boss said yesterday?
Él no escuchó la alarma y llegó tarde.
A2He didn't hear the alarm and arrived late.
💡 Grammar Points
The Simple Past (Preterite)
This form, 'escuchó,' tells you that the action of listening started and finished at a specific point in the past. It's a single, completed event.
Who Did It?
'Escuchó' always refers to a singular person: 'él' (he), 'ella' (she), or 'usted' (formal you). You often don't need the pronoun because the ending tells you who performed the action.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Preterite vs. Imperfect
Mistake: "Using 'escuchaba' when referring to a single, quick event: 'Él escuchaba la noticia.' (Incorrect if it was a one-time event)"
Correction: Use 'escuchó' for the single event: 'Él escuchó la noticia.' ('He heard the news.') Use 'escuchaba' only for continuous or habitual actions in the past.
⭐ Usage Tips
Listening vs. Hearing
'Escuchar' usually implies active listening (paying attention), whereas 'oír' (oyó) often means passively hearing a sound. However, 'escuchó' is commonly used for both in casual speech.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: escuchó
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'escuchó' to describe a single, finished action?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'escuchó' and 'oyó'?
'Escuchó' (from escuchar) means 'he/she listened,' implying intent and attention. 'Oyó' (from oír) means 'he/she heard,' often referring to passively perceiving a sound, like hearing a sudden noise.
Why does 'escuchamos' mean two different things in the conjugation table?
The 'nosotros' (we) form is the same in both the present tense ('we listen') and the simple past (preterite) tense ('we listened'). You must rely on context or time markers (like 'ayer' or 'hoy') to know which tense is being used.