The Imperfect Tense of Oír is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Yo oía música mientras estudiaba. (I was listening to music while I studied.)

This verb follows the standard conjugation pattern for verbs ending in -ír in the Imperfect Tense, with the stem change o → oí.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Oír (to hear) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of oír is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

Hearing sounds or voices: For example, Oía el ruido de los autos en la calle. (I heard the noise of the cars on the street.)

Listening to someone or something: For example, Oía música mientras trabajaba. (I was listening to music while working.)

Perceiving or understanding: For example, No oía bien lo que me decías. (I didn’t quite understand what you were telling me.)

Hearing rumors or gossip: For example, Oía rumores sobre su divorcio. (I was hearing rumors about their divorce.)

Eavesdropping or overhearing: For example, Oía su conversación sin querer. (I overheard their conversation unintentionally.)

Listening to advice or instructions: For example, Oía atentamente las instrucciones del profesor. (I was listening carefully to the teacher’s instructions.)

Colloquial usage: In some Latin American regions, oír can be used informally to mean “to understand” or “to get it,” as in ¿Oíste? Tenemos que irnos ya. (Did you get it? We have to leave now.)

Examples

Examples of Oír in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando oía la música de mi país, me llenaba de nostalgia. (When I heard the music from my country, it filled me with nostalgia.)

Mi abuela oía muy mal, así que teníamos que hablar fuerte. (My grandmother had very poor hearing, so we had to speak loudly.)

El niño oía los pasos de su madre acercándose y se escondió rápidamente. (The child heard his mother’s footsteps approaching and quickly hid.)

Aunque oíamos el ruido de la fiesta, decidimos no ir. (Even though we heard the noise from the party, we decided not to go.)

Ellos oían las noticias todos los días para mantenerse informados. (They listened to the news every day to stay informed.)

Yo oía el rumor de que iba a haber un aumento de sueldo, pero no estaba seguro. (I heard the rumor that there was going to be a raise, but I wasn’t sure.)

Tú oías el canto de los pájaros todas las mañanas en el parque. (You heard the birds singing every morning in the park.)

Ella oía las historias de su abuelo con mucha atención. (She listened to her grandfather’s stories very attentively.)

Nosotros oíamos el sonido de las olas al caminar por la playa. (We heard the sound of the waves as we walked along the beach.)

¿Oías ese ruido extraño anoche? Creo que era un animal. (Did you hear that strange noise last night? I think it was an animal.)

Aunque oía los consejos de mis padres, a veces no los seguía. (Even though I heard my parents’ advice, sometimes I didn’t follow it.)

Ella oía las críticas de sus compañeros, pero no les hacía caso. (She heard her colleagues’ criticism, but she didn’t pay attention to it.)

Cuando oíamos la alarma de incendio, salimos rápidamente del edificio. (When we heard the fire alarm, we quickly exited the building.)

Tú oías los chismes de la oficina, pero nunca los repetías. (You heard the office gossip, but you never repeated it.)

Ellos oían las instrucciones del guía turístico con mucha atención. (They listened to the tour guide’s instructions very attentively.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Oír (to hear) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.