Oír Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Oír (to hear) is a very common and highly irregular -ir verb. Its irregularities: the present yo form takes -g- (oigo), and the unstressed i becomes y between vowels (oyes, oye, oyen; oyó, oyeron; gerund oyendo). The present subjunctive is built on oig- (oiga). It also carries the hiatus accent in the participle oído and in oí, oíste, oímos, oísteis, oíd.

Indicative Tenses of Oír

Oír in the Present (Presente)

Current perception of sounds and general facts: Oigo música desde la calle (I hear music from the street).

Present tense rules →

Oír in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Anoche oí un ruido extraño (Last night I heard a strange noise).

Preterite rules →

Oír in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he oído una buena noticia (Today I have heard good news).

Present perfect rules →

Oír in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De pequeño oía pasar el tren cada noche (As a child I used to hear the train go by every night).

Imperfect rules →

Oír in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llegué, ya habían oído la noticia (When I arrived, they had already heard the news).

Past perfect rules →

Oír in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Pronto oirás buenas noticias (You will soon hear good news).

Future tense rules →

Oír in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para entonces ya habremos oído su versión (By then we will have heard their side).

Future perfect rules →

Oír in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Con audífonos oirías mucho mejor (With hearing aids you would hear much better).

Conditional rules →

Oír in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría oído la alarma si no hubiera dormido tan profundo (I would have heard the alarm if I had not slept so deeply).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Oír

Present Subjunctive of Oír (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Espero que oigas bien desde ahí (I hope you can hear well from there).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Oír (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Me alegra que hayas oído la verdad (I am glad you have heard the truth).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Oír (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si oyeras lo que dicen, te sorprenderías (If you heard what they say, you would be surprised).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Oír (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras oído la alarma, no habrías llegado tarde (If you had heard the alarm, you would not have been late).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Oír

Affirmative Commands of Oír (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Oye, ven aquí un momento! (Hey, come here a moment!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Oír (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No oigas los rumores (Do not listen to the rumors).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Oír

• Oír hablar de - to hear about something or someone
• Oír campanas y no saber dónde - to half-know something, without the details
• Como lo oyes - just as you hear it, believe it or not
• Oír misa - to attend Mass