Spanish grammar · Beginner
Oír Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Oír means to hear. Highly irregular: yo oigo, tú oyes, él oye (y inserted in some forms). Preterite has i→y in third person: oyó, oyeron. Past participle: oído (note accent).
Oigo música.
I hear music.
What it is
Oír means to hear (involuntary perception of sound), as opposed to escuchar (to listen, intentional). Highly irregular conjugation: yo oigo, tú oyes, él oye. Need to memorize forms across tenses.
Oigo un ruido (I hear a noise, oír for involuntary). Compare: Escucho música (I'm listening to music, escuchar for intentional listening).
How to spot it
Irregular yo: oigo. Y inserted between i and vowel: oyes, oye, oyen. Preterite y in 3rd person: oyó, oyeron. Past participle: oído (with accent).
- Oigo voces. — I hear voices.
- ¿Oíste eso? — Did you hear that?
- He oído la noticia. — I've heard the news.
Don't confuse oír (to hear) with escuchar (to listen). Oír = the sound reaches you. Escuchar = you actively pay attention.
Oír Conjugation Quick Reference
Oír at a glance, the most-used forms
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | oigo | oí | oía | oiré | oiga |
| tú | oyes | oíste | oías | oirás | oigas |
| él/ella/Ud. | oye | oyó | oía | oirá | oiga |
| nosotros | oímos | oímos | oíamos | oiremos | oigamos |
| vosotros | oís | oísteis | oíais | oiréis | oigáis |
| ellos/Uds. | oyen | oyeron | oían | oirán | oigan |
Common Oír Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Oír for hearing in different contexts:
Hearing Sounds / Voices
- Oigo música.
- I hear music.
- ¿Oyes ese ruido?
- Do you hear that noise?
- Oí un grito.
- I heard a shout.
- No oigo nada.
- I don't hear anything.
Oír for the involuntary perception of sound.
Hearing News / Information
- He oído la noticia.
- I've heard the news.
- ¿Has oído de María?
- Have you heard from María?
- Oí decir que...
- I heard that...
- Nunca oí hablar de él.
- I've never heard of him.
Oír also covers hearing information / news. Oír decir = hear say / hear that.
Hearing People (Listening Without Concentrating)
- Te oigo, pero no te escucho.
- I hear you, but I'm not listening.
- Oigo lo que dices.
- I hear what you're saying.
- ¿Me oyes bien?
- Can you hear me well?
- Oíamos a los vecinos.
- We could hear the neighbors.
Oír vs. escuchar contrast: oír = the sound reaches you; escuchar = you focus on what's being said.
Common Imperative + Idiomatic Uses
- ¡Oye! ¿Cómo estás?
- Hey! How are you? (informal attention-getter)
- ¡Oiga, por favor!
- Excuse me, sir / ma'am! (formal)
- Como lo oyes.
- As you hear it (as I'm saying).
- Lo oí por casualidad.
- I overheard it by chance.
¡Oye! and ¡Oiga! are very common attention-getters, like English 'hey!' (informal) and 'excuse me!' (formal).
How to Conjugate Oír Across Tenses
Present, Y Inserted
Yo oigo (irregular). The y appears in tú oyes, él oye, ellos oyen (between i and vowel). Nosotros oímos, vosotros oís stay closer to root.
Oigo, oyes, oye, oímos, oís, oyen.
I hear, you hear, etc.
Yo oigo. Y between vowels: oyes, oye, oyen.
Preterite, Y in 3rd Person
Yo oí, tú oíste, él OYÓ, nosotros oímos, vosotros oísteis, ellos OYERON. The 3rd person singular and plural insert y (like leer, creer).
Oí un ruido. Oyó la noticia.
I heard a noise. He heard the news.
3rd person: oyó / oyeron (y insertion).
Past Participle: Oído (with Accent)
He oído, has oído, etc. The accent on the í is required because two vowels (o + i) would otherwise form a diphthong.
He oído esa canción mil veces.
I've heard that song a thousand times.
Accent on oído (always).
Subjunctive: Oiga
From yo oigo, drop -o, add subjunctive endings: oiga, oigas, oiga, oigamos, oigáis, oigan. ¡Oiga! is the formal command.
Quiero que oigas esto.
I want you to hear this.
Subjunctive: oiga (g preserved).
Common Mistakes with Oír Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo oio música. — I hear music.
Correct: Yo oigo música. — I hear music.
Yo form is irregular: oigo (with g). Same family as digo, hago, tengo. Don't conjugate as regular oír > oio.
Incorrect: Él oió la noticia. — He heard the news.
Correct: Él oyó la noticia. — He heard the news.
Preterite 3rd person inserts y: oyó (not *oió). Same pattern as leyó, creyó, cayó.
Incorrect: He oido el ruido. — I've heard the noise.
Correct: He oído el ruido. — I've heard the noise.
Past participle requires the accent on i: oído. Without accent, the o and i would form a diphthong (single syllable).
Oír Across Every Tense
Highly irregular: yo oigo, y insertions between vowels, accented past participle.
Present (Irregular Yo + Y Insertions)
Yo oigo. Y between vowels.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Yo oigo (with g), tú oyes (with y).
Preterite (Y in 3rd Person)
Y inserted in 3rd person.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Y in oyó, oyeron. Same family as leer, creer.
Imperfect (Mostly Regular)
Standard imperfect endings.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Accent on í to keep separate syllable from o.
Future / Conditional / Subjunctive / Compound
Future / cond. regular. Subj. from yo oigo. Past part. oído.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Past participle oído needs accent.
Oír Conjugation FAQs
- What does oír mean and when do you use it?
- Oír means to hear (involuntary perception of sound). Use for hearing noises, voices, news. Different from escuchar (to listen, intentional focus): Oigo música = I hear music. Escucho música = I'm listening to music.
- How do you conjugate oír in the present?
- Oigo (irreg), oyes, oye, oímos, oís, oyen. Yo form has g (like digo, hago). Y is inserted between vowels in tú, él, ellos forms.
- What's the preterite of oír?
- Oí, oíste, oyó, oímos, oísteis, oyeron. The 3rd person singular (oyó) and plural (oyeron) insert y. Same pattern as leer (leyó, leyeron), creer (creyó, creyeron).
- What's the past participle of oír?
- Oído (with accent on í). Used in he oído (I've heard), había oído (I had heard), haya oído (subjunctive). The accent is required to keep o and i as separate syllables.
- How can I master oír?
- Drill the irregular yo (oigo), the y-insertions in present (oyes, oye, oyen), and preterite (oyó, oyeron). Note the accented past participle (oído). Compare with escuchar to lock in the meaning difference. Parrot's videos surface oír in natural conversations.