Breakdown of Escucho un podcast interesante en la mañana.
Questions & Answers about Escucho un podcast interesante en la mañana.
In Spanish, the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, etc.) is often omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.
- Escucho = I listen (the -o ending already means “I”)
- Yo escucho is also correct, but usually used:
- for emphasis: Yo escucho un podcast… (I listen to a podcast… not someone else)
- to contrast with another subject: Yo escucho podcasts, pero ella mira videos.
So in a neutral sentence like Escucho un podcast interesante en la mañana, it’s more natural to drop yo. The meaning is still “I listen…”.
Both verbs relate to sound, but they’re not the same:
- escuchar = to listen (to), implies intention and attention
- Escucho un podcast = I choose to listen / I pay attention to it.
- oír = to hear, more passive, like sounds entering your ears
- Oigo un ruido = I hear a noise (not necessarily on purpose).
You could say Oigo un podcast interesante en la mañana, but it would sound strange, as if the podcast is just “there” and you happen to hear it. For “I listen to a podcast…”, escucho is the natural choice.
Spanish doesn’t use the progressive (estar + gerund, like estoy escuchando) as much as English does for habits or general facts.
- Escucho un podcast interesante en la mañana.
= I listen to an interesting podcast in the morning. (habit, routine) - Estoy escuchando un podcast interesante.
= I am (right now) listening to an interesting podcast.
So:
- For regular routines → escucho
- For what you’re doing at this exact moment → estoy escuchando
In Spanish, every noun has a grammatical gender. podcast is treated as masculine in Spanish in most usage.
- Masculine singular article: un
- Masculine singular adjective ending: often -o or invariable, but interesante doesn’t change for gender.
So:
- un podcast interesante = correct
- una podcast interesante = incorrect
If you made it plural, it would be:
- unos podcasts interesantes (or podcasts interesantes with no article, depending on context)
The usual order in Spanish is noun + adjective:
- un podcast interesante = an interesting podcast
Putting the adjective after the noun normally:
- identifies or classifies: what kind of podcast? → an interesting one.
You can say un interesante podcast, but:
- It’s more literary or stylistic.
- Adjectives before the noun often sound more subjective, emotional, or emphatic.
So:
- Neutral, everyday: un podcast interesante
- A bit more “styled” or rhetorical: un interesante podcast
All of these are used, but they differ slightly in nuance and region:
en la mañana
Very common in much of Latin America (e.g. Mexico, parts of Central and South America).
Can mean “in the morning” for a specific or general time:- Escucho un podcast interesante en la mañana.
por la mañana
Also correct and common; somewhat more universal (and very typical in Spain).
Often used for general time:- Suelo escuchar un podcast por la mañana.
por las mañanas
Emphasizes repetition / every morning:- Por las mañanas escucho un podcast interesante. = In the mornings / every morning I listen…
In everyday Latin American speech, en la mañana and por la mañana are both normal. If you want to stress a habitual action (every morning), por las mañanas works very well.
Spanish uses the definite article la with parts of the day:
- la mañana = the morning
- la tarde = the afternoon
- la noche = the night
So for saying “in the morning” as a time of day, you usually say:
- en la mañana
- por la mañana
Just mañana (without la) usually means tomorrow:
- Mañana escucho un podcast. = I’ll listen to a podcast tomorrow.
Be careful:
- en la mañana → in the morning (time of day)
- mañana (alone, as an adverb) → tomorrow
Context will tell you which meaning is intended.
In modern Spanish, podcast is treated as masculine in most varieties:
- Singular: el podcast, un podcast
- Plural: los podcasts, unos podcasts
(Some people also say podcasts with the English plural, which is accepted.)
Examples:
- Escucho un podcast interesante. = I listen to an interesting podcast.
- Escucho podcasts interesantes. = I listen to interesting podcasts.
The word podcast itself doesn’t change form in the singular; the plural usually adds -s: podcasts.
To make it plural and more general, you’d change both the article and the adjective:
- Escucho podcasts interesantes en la mañana.
= I listen to interesting podcasts in the morning.
Other natural options:
- Por las mañanas escucho podcasts interesantes.
= In the mornings / Every morning I listen to interesting podcasts. - Por la mañana suelo escuchar podcasts interesantes.
= In the morning I usually listen to interesting podcasts.
The original sentence with un podcast interesante suggests one specific interesting podcast.
In Spanish, time expressions usually use en or por, not a, when talking about parts of the day:
- en la mañana = in the morning
- por la mañana = in the morning
The preposition a is used more for:
- clock times: a las 8 (at 8)
- directions / destinations: Voy a la escuela.
So:
- Escucho un podcast en la mañana. = correct
- Escucho un podcast a la mañana. = sounds wrong / non-standard
Normally:
- escuchar = to listen (intentionally)
- oír = to hear (perceive sound)
In casual speech, some speakers blur the line a bit and use escuchar when they hear something and also pay some attention to it. But if you specifically mean not on purpose, just hear it, you should use oír:
- Oigo un podcast desde la habitación de al lado.
= I hear a podcast from the room next door.
In your sentence, Escucho un podcast interesante en la mañana, the idea is clearly intentional: “I (intentionally) listen to a podcast…”
The simple present Escucho un podcast interesante en la mañana can imply a routine, especially in context. But if you want to make it very clear it’s a habit, you can add an adverb or expression of frequency:
- Todos los días escucho un podcast interesante en la mañana.
= Every day I listen to an interesting podcast in the morning. - Cada mañana escucho un podcast interesante.
= Each morning I listen to an interesting podcast. - Por las mañanas escucho un podcast interesante.
= In the mornings I listen to an interesting podcast.
So the original sentence is fine, but adding todos los días, cada mañana, or por las mañanas makes the routine aspect explicit.