Oír Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

The Spanish verb “oír” means “to hear”. Unlike its counterpart “escuchar,” which means “to listen,” “oír” is more passive in nature.

As an irregular verb, the Spanish verb “oir” can be challenging for learners. However, mastering its conjugation is important to convey the idea of hearing in all everyday interactions in both Spain and Latin America.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and in this guide, we’ll cover the conjugation of “oír” across various tenses, including compound tenses, as well as the imperative and subjunctive tenses. 

We’ll also explore its usage with example sentences and English translations.

The Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	oigo
you	tú	oyes
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	oye
we	nosotros,nosotras	oímos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	oís
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	oyen

When We Use the Present Tense

The present tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening, habitual actions, general truths, or future actions. 

You should know by now that in Spanish, conjugating verbs means changing their endings to match the subject performing the action. 

Notice that in the first person singular we have a -g before the ending (”yo oigo”).

Examples of the Spanish Verb Oír in the Present Tense

• Yo oigo los pájaros cantando. (I hear the birds singing.)
• Tú oyes música en la radio. (You hear music on the radio.)
• Él/ella oye el sonido del mar. (He/she hears the sound of the sea.)
• Nosotros oímos la conferencia con atención. (We hear the lecture attentively.)
• Vosotros oís a los niños jugando afuera. (You all hear the children playing outside.)
• Ellos/ellas oyen una conversación interesante. (They hear an interesting conversation.)

The Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	oí
you	tú	oíste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	oyó
we	nosotros, nosotras	oímos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	oísteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	oyeron

When We Use the Preterite Tense

Due to its significance, the preterite tense is likely the second tense you’ll learn when you start to learn Spanish. 

We use it to describe actions that were completed in the past at a specific point in time. For example, “I heard a loud bang”.

Here are also examples of the “oír” conjugations for this past tense in context.

Examples of the Preterite Tense Oír Conjugations

• Yo oí la noticia anoche. (I heard the news last night.)
• Tú oíste un ruido extraño en la calle. (You heard a strange noise in the street.)
• Él/ella oyó la música desde su habitación. (He/she heard the music from his/her room.)
• Nosotros oímos el concierto el sábado pasado. (We heard the concert last Saturday.)
• Vosotros oísteis los aplausos al final de la obra. (You all heard the applause at the end of the play.)
• Ellos/ellas oyeron el mensaje y respondieron rápidamente. (They heard the message and responded quickly.)

The Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	oía
you	tú	oías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	oía
we	nosotros, nosotras	oíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	oíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	oían

When We Use the Imperfect Tense

Unlike the preterite tense we’ve just covered, the imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, to describe states of being or conditions, or to provide background information. 

An example is “I was hearing” or “I used to hear”, but not “I heard”.

Here are also examples of the “oír” conjugations for this past tense in context.

Examples of Oír in the Imperfect Tense

• Yo oía el sonido de la lluvia todas las noches. (I used to hear the sound of the rain every night.)
• Tú oías el ruido de los coches en la calle. (You used to hear the noise of the cars on the street.)
• Él/ella oía música clásica mientras estudiaba. (He/she used to listen to classical music while studying.)
• Nosotros oíamos las historias de nuestros abuelos con atención. (We used to hear our grandparents’ stories attentively.)
• Vosotros oíais los pájaros cantando en el jardín. (You all used to hear the birds singing in the garden.)
• Ellos/ellas oían voces en la oscuridad. (They used to hear voices in the darkness.)

The Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	oiré
you	tú	oirás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	oirá
we	nosotros,nosotras	oiremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	oiréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	oirán

When We Use the Future Tense

We use the future tense in Spanish when we want to describe actions that will happen in the future. 

For example, “Yo oiré” means “I will listen”. It should be said, however, that this is not a common tense with the verb “oir”. 

In Spanish, the future tense is formed by adding specific endings to the infinitive of the verb, which makes it quite easy to learn. 

Examples of Oír in the Future Tense

• Yo oiré la conferencia completa mañana. (I will hear the entire lecture tomorrow.)
• Tú oirás las noticias en la radio por la mañana. (You will hear the news on the radio in the morning.)
• Él/ella oirá el concierto el próximo viernes. (He/she will hear the concert next Friday.)
• Nosotros oiremos el sonido de las olas en la playa. (We will hear the sound of the waves at the beach.)
• Vosotros oiréis el canto de los pájaros al amanecer. (You all will hear the birdsong at dawn.)
• Ellos/ellas oirán el ruido de la fiesta desde lejos. (They will hear the noise of the party from afar.)

The Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	oiría
you	tú	oirías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	oiría
we	nosotros,nosotras	oiríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	oiríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	oirían

When We Use the Conditional Tense

The official definition of the conditional tense is that we use it to express hypothetical situations, desires, or polite requests. 

All you really need to remember for now is that it means “would” in the future tense. 

Just like the future tense discussed above, the conditional tense in Spanish is formed by adding specific endings to the infinitive of the verb.

I have provided example sentences below, showing how to use “oír” in the conditional tense with the imperfect subjunctive. 

Examples of Oír in the Conditional Tense

• Yo oiría mejor si me pusiera los audífonos. (I would hear better if I put on my headphones.)
• Tú oirías la música si no fuera tan fuerte. (You would hear the music if it weren’t so loud.)
• Él/ella oiría la conversación si estuviera más cerca. (He/she would hear the conversation if he/she were closer.)
• Nosotros oiríamos mejor si no hubiera tanto ruido. (We would hear better if there weren’t so much noise.)
• Vosotros oiríais el mensaje si prestaseis más atención. (You all would hear the message if you paid more attention.)
• Ellos/ellas oirían el discurso si no hablaran tan bajo. (They would hear the speech if they didn’t speak so softly.)

The Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	he	oído
you	tú	has	oído
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	oído
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	oído
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	oído
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	oído

When We Use the Perfect Tense

The perfect tense is used to describe actions that have been completed in the past immediately before another past action.

To conjugate “oír” in the perfect tense, use the auxiliary verb haber in the present tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

This is a sentence structure you will need to become familiar with, as we need to conjugate “haber” to form the perfect tense, the pluperfect tense, the future perfect tense, and the conditional perfect tense. 

Examples of Oír in the Preterite Perfect Tense

• Yo he oído ese chiste antes. (I have heard that joke before.)
• Tú has oído hablar de eso. (You have heard about that.)
• Él/ella ha oído la noticia recientemente. (He/she has heard the news recently.)
• Nosotros hemos oído rumores al respecto. (We have heard rumors about it.)
• Vosotros habéis oído la canción en la radio. (You all have heard the song on the radio.)
• Ellos/ellas han oído las opiniones de los expertos. (They have heard the opinions of the experts.)

The Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	había	oído
you	tú	habías	oído
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	oído
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	oído
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	oído
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	oído

When We Use the Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense is used to describe actions that had been completed before another past action. 

The translation is “had heard”.

If you want to conjugate “oír” in the pluperfect tense, you need to use the imperfect tense of the auxiliary “haber”, followed by the past participle “oído”.

Examples of this are below. 

Examples of Oír in the Pluperfect Tense

• Yo había oído esa historia muchas veces. (I had heard that story many times.)
• Tú habías oído hablar de él anteriormente. (You had heard about him previously.)
• Él/ella había oído rumores sobre el proyecto. (He/she had heard rumors about the project.)
• Nosotros habíamos oído la canción en otro concierto. (We had heard the song at another concert.)
• Vosotros habíais oído las noticias en la televisión. (You all had heard the news on TV.)
• Ellos/ellas habían oído los argumentos del debate. (They had heard the arguments of the debate.)

The Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habré	oído
you	tú	habrás	oído
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	oído
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	oído
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	oído
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	oído

When We Use the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense describes actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future.

In order to conjugate “oír” in the future tense, take the auxiliary verb “haber” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of Oír in the Future Perfect Tense

• Yo habré oído todas las pistas antes del concierto. (I will have heard all the tracks before the concert.)
• Tú habrás oído las noticias para entonces. (You will have heard the news by then.)
• Él/ella habrá oído la explicación antes de la reunión. (He/she will have heard the explanation before the meeting.)
• Nosotros habremos oído las opiniones de todos. (We will have heard everyone’s opinions.)
• Vosotros habréis oído el resultado del examen. (You all will have heard the result of the exam.)
• Ellos/ellas habrán oído el sonido de los cohetes en la noche. (They will have heard the sound of the fireworks at night.)

The Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habría	oído
you	tú	habrías	oído
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	oído
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	oído
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	oído
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	oído

When We Use the Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense is used to describe actions that would have been completed under certain conditions in the past.

When you want to conjugate “oír” in the conditional perfect, use the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb haber “followed” by the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of “Oír” in the Conditional Perfect Tense

• Yo habría oído la conferencia si hubiera tenido tiempo. (I would have heard the lecture if I had had time.)
• Tú habrías oído la noticia si hubieras estado atento. (You would have heard the news if you had been paying attention.)
• Él/ella habría oído la música si no hubiera estado ocupado. (He/she would have heard the music if he/she hadn’t been busy.)
• Nosotros habríamos oído el discurso si hubiera habido menos interrupciones. (We would have heard the speech if there had been fewer interruptions.)
• Vosotros habríais oído el mensaje si hubierais estado presentes. (You all would have heard the message if you had been present.)
• Ellos/ellas habrían oído la conversación si hubieran estado cerca. (They would have heard the conversation if they had been nearby.)

The Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	oiga
you	tú	oigas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	oiga
we	nosotros,nosotras	oigamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	oigáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	oigan

When We Use the Present Subjunctive

The subjunctive is used to express desires, doubts, wishes, or hypothetical situations. 

It often follows expressions of influence, emotion, doubt, or denial.

Examples of Oír in the Present Subjunctive

• Espero que yo oiga bien durante la conferencia. (I hope that I hear well during the lecture.)
• No creo que tú oigas todo lo que dicen. (I don’t think you hear everything they say.)
• Es posible que él/ella oiga los argumentos de ambos lados. (It’s possible that he/she hears arguments from both sides.)
• Dudo que nosotros oigamos algo desde aquí. (I doubt that we hear anything from here.)
• Ojalá que vosotros oigáis lo que necesitáis saber. (Hopefully, you all hear what you need to know.)
• No es seguro que ellos/ellas/ustedes oigan la llamada de auxilio. (It’s not certain that they hear the distress call.)

The Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	oyera, oyese
you	tú	oyeras, oyeses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	oyera, oyese
we	nosotros,nosotras	oyéramos, oyésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	oyerais, oyeseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	oyeran, oyesen

When We Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used to express doubts, wishes, or hypothetical situations in the past. 

It is often used in subordinate clauses after expressions of influence, emotion, doubt, or denial.

Examples of Oír in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Quería que yo oyera su versión de los hechos. (He wanted me to hear his side of the story.)
• Preferías que tú oyeras la noticia de mí. (You preferred to hear the news from me.)
• Dudaba que él/ella oyera las voces en la oscuridad. (He/she doubted that he/she heard the voices in the darkness.)
• Esperábamos que nosotros oyéramos bien el audio. (We hoped that we heard the audio clearly.)
• Recomendaban que vosotros oyerais las opiniones de todos. (They recommended that you all hear everyone’s opinions.)
• Temían que ellos/ellas/ ustedes no oyeron las instrucciones correctamente. (They feared that they didn’t hear the instructions correctly.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡oye!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡oiga!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡oigamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡oíd!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡oigan!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative is used to give commands or orders in a direct and affirmative manner. 

With the verb ”oir”, it’s used when you want someone to hear something.

Affirmative Imperative

• Oye el sonido del mar. (Listen to the sound of the sea.) [tu]
• Oiga la música con atención. (Listen to the music attentively.) [usted]
• Oigamos el concierto juntos. (Let’s listen to the concert together.) [nosotros]
• Oíd el canto de los pájaros. (Listen to the birdsong.) [vosotros]
• Oigan la explicación detenidamente. (Listen to the explanation carefully.) [ellos/ellas]

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡no oigas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no oiga!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no oigamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no oigáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no oigan!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative is used to give commands or orders in a direct and negative manner. 

We use it when we want someone not to do something.

The Negative Imperative

• No oigas la música tan alta. (Don’t listen to the music so loudly.) [tu]
• No oiga usted los rumores. (Don’t listen to the rumors.) [usted]
• No oigamos los comentarios negativos. (Let’s not listen to the negative comments.) [nosotros]
• No oigáis las críticas destructivas. (Don’t listen to the destructive criticisms.) [vosotros]
• No oigan las voces en la oscuridad. (Don’t listen to the voices in the darkness.) [ellos/ellas]

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