Inklingo

How to Say "would listen" in Spanish

The Spanish word forwould listenis escuchabaA2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA2
verbA2
repeated past action
A young girl sitting peacefully with her eyes closed, cupping her hand to her ear to hear the birds singing in a tree.

Examples

Yo escuchaba música mientras limpiaba la casa.

I was listening to music while I was cleaning the house.

Mi abuelo siempre escuchaba la radio por la tarde.

My grandfather always used to listen to the radio in the afternoon.

Él no me escuchaba cuando yo hablaba.

He wasn't listening to me when I was talking.

The 'Two-Person' Word

In Spanish, 'escuchaba' can mean 'I was listening' OR 'he/she/it was listening.' To avoid confusion, you can add 'yo' (I) or 'él/ella' (he/she) at the beginning.

The Movie Background Tense

Think of this word as the 'background' of a scene in a movie. It describes what was going on before a sudden action interrupted it.

Escuchaba vs. Escuché

Mistake:Using 'escuché' for habits.

Correction: Use 'escuchaba' for things you did many times (habits) or things that lasted a long time. Use 'escuché' for a one-time sound you heard and then it was over.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.