Difference Between Ouvir and Escutar

3 de June de 2019
Ejemplo con el verbo escuchar en portuguΓ©s: Los estudiantes escuchan al profesor con atenciΓ³n.

Hello, galera! What have you heard about Brazil? Today we are going to study the difference between ouvir and escutar in Portuguese. Let’s go!

Difference Between Ouvir and Escutar

The difference between these verbs is simple, basically we use ouvir (to hear) when we perceive sounds and escutar (to listen) when we have to focus, to pay attention.

Ouvir in Portuguese

Difference Between Ouvir and Escutar. Eu ouΓ§o, vocΓͺ ouve, ele ouve, ela ouve, nΓ³s ouvimos, vocΓͺs ouvem, eles ouve, elas ouvem. PretΓ©rito perfeito: eu ouvi, vocΓͺ ouviu, ele ouviu, la ouviu, nΓ³s ouvimos, vocΓͺs ouviram, eles ouviram, elas ouviram, Futuro do presente: eu ouvirei, vocΓͺ ouvirΓ‘, ele ouvirΓ‘, ela ouvirΓ‘, nΓ³s ouviremos, vocΓͺs ouvirΓ£o, eles ouvirΓ£o, elas ouvirΓ£o.

Ouvir (to hear) is an irregular verb that is used to mean the skill of capturing sounds by the ears. Let’s see some examples using this verb:

Eu ouvi vocΓͺ falando com eles mais cedo.
I heard you talking to them earlier.

VocΓͺ pode repetir a frase? Eu nΓ£o ouvi.
Can you repeat the sentence? I didn’tΒ hear.

Γ‰ normal ouvir muito barulho na rua
It’s normal hearing a lot of noise on the street.

You can see more of this verb in our Dica do Dia where you learn how to conjugate ouvir in Portuguese.

We also use the verb ouvir as the expression ouvir dizer. This expression is used to talk about something thatΒ  someone told you or an information that you found out. Let’s see:

VocΓͺ ouviu dizer sobre a RioLIVE! da Pedra do Sal hoje?
Have you heard about the RioLIVE! at Pedra do Sal today?

Ela ouviu dizer que hoje vai chover. Γ‰ verdade?
She heard that today is going to rain. Is it true?

Eu ouvi dizer que o Rio de Janeiro tem praias lindas.
I‘ve heard that Rio de Janeiro has beautiful beaches.

Escutar in Portuguese

Difference Between Ouvir and Escutar. Eu escuto, vocΓͺ escuta, ele escuta, ela escuta, nΓ³s escutamos, vocΓͺs escutam, eles escutam, elas escutam. PretΓ©rito perfeito: eu escutei, vocΓͺ escutou, ele escutou, ela escutou, nΓ³s escutamos, vocΓͺs escutaram, eles escutaram, elas escutaram. Futuro do presente: eu escutarei, vocΓͺ escutarΓ‘, ele escutarΓ‘, ela escutarΓ‘, nΓ³s escutaremos, vocΓͺs escutarΓ£o, eles escutarΓ£o, elas escutarΓ£o.

Escutar (to listen) is a regular verb that is used when we have to focus, to pay attention and to talk about music, audios or voice messages. Take a look at the following examples:

Eles escutam samba todos os dias.
They listen to samba everyday.

Estou no trabalho, nΓ£o posso escutar suas mensagens de voz.
I am at work, I can’t listen your voice messages.

VocΓͺ jΓ‘ escutou o novo Γ‘lbum do Chico Buarque?
Have you listened the new Chico Buarque’s album yet?

Just like ouvir, we also use escutar with expressions. We use it when we want to start a conversation or a topic. Check this out:

Carlos: Bom dia Pedro, tudo bem?
Pedro: Oi! Tudo bem sim!
Carlos: Escuta! VocΓͺ quer assistir o jogo na quinta?
Pedro: Claro que sim! Que horas?
Carlos: Γ€s 19:00.
Pedro: Ok. Nos vemos na sexta entΓ£o.
Carlos: Beleza. AtΓ© lΓ‘!

Carlos: Good morning Pedro, are you ok?
Pedro: Hi! I am fine!
Carlos: Listen! Do you want to watch the match on Thursday?
Pedro: Of course! What time?
Carlos: At 7:00 pm.
Pedro: Ok. See you on Friday then..
Carlos: Great. See you!

Now we know the difference between ouvir and escutar in Portuguese. Practice them hearing the sounds around and listening to people or Brazilian music. Subscribe at A Dica do Dia for more Portuguese language information.

See you guys!
Hugs from Rio & Learn!

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Click on the links below to see more related Dicas
Conjugate ouvir in Portuguese
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Verbs ending in AR in the past
Verbs ending in IR in Portuguese
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