Portuguese · Everyday Verbs
"to hear" in Portuguese: ouvir
ouvir
To hear in Portuguese is ouvir. Everyday forms are eu ouço, você ouve, and eu ouvi. Escutar is close and often means to listen carefully.
Noisy café
Não ouço você com esse barulho.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce ouvir
Say it
oh-VEER / OH-soo / OH-vee
/ou.ˈviʁ/
oh-VEER. Eu ouço is OH-soo; você ouve is OH-vee.
"to hear" in Portuguese: quick reference
| Portuguese | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ouvir | to hear Dictionary form. | Dictionary form. |
| eu ouço | I hear First person present. | First person present. |
| você ouve | you hear Questions. | Questions. |
| eu ouvi | I heard Past. | Past. |
| não ouço bem | I can't hear well Noise or hearing issues. | Noise or hearing issues. |
How to use ouvir in real life
- 1Noisy café
Não ouço você com esse barulho.
I can't hear you with this noise.
Ouço for I hear.
- 2Phone call
Você me ouve agora?
Can you hear me now?
Ouve is the você form.
- 3Gossip past
Eu ouvi que o show foi cancelado.
I heard the show was canceled.
Ouvi introduces news.
Mistakes English speakers make with ouvir
Incorrect: Eu ouve música.
Correct: Eu ouço música. (or Eu escuto música)
First person is ouço, not ouve.
Incorrect: Eu ouvir ontem.
Correct: Eu ouvi ontem.
Past is ouvi.
Good to know
Ouvir and escutar overlap in Brazil; ouvir is the irregular hear verb learners must lock in (ouço/ouve/ouvi). Alô, me ouve? is classic phone Portuguese.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
A bad phone connection
ChatPal
Alô? Você me ouve?
Hello? Can you hear me?
You
Agora eu ouço. Antes estava mudo.
Now I hear you. Before it was silent.
ChatPal
Ótimo. Você ouviu o endereço?
Great. Did you hear the address?
You
Ouvi. Rua das Flores, cento e dois.
I heard it. Flores Street, one hundred two.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to hear" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to hear" in Portuguese
I hear?
Eu ouço.
Do you hear me?
Você me ouve?
I heard?
Eu ouvi.
Ouvir vs escutar?
Both common; escutar often stresses listening.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
