Oigo a la vecina de al lado cuando habla en voz alta.

I hear the neighbor next door when she speaks loudly.

Breakdown of Oigo a la vecina de al lado cuando habla en voz alta.

• yo: I
• cuando: when
• a: to
• ella: she

Questions & Answers about Oigo a la vecina de al lado cuando habla en voz alta.

Why is it oigo and not escucho?

Both oír and escuchar can mean to hear in English, but they are used a bit differently.

• oír = to hear, to perceive sound
• escuchar = to listen, to pay attention to what you hear

In Oigo a la vecina de al lado..., the idea is that the speaker simply hears the neighbour’s voice/noise. There is no suggestion of actively listening on purpose, so oigo is the most natural choice.

You could say Escucho a la vecina de al lado..., but that would sound more like you are actually listening to her.

Why is there an a before la vecina?

That a is the personal a.

In Spanish, when the direct object is a specific person, you usually put a before it.

So:

• Oigo la música = I hear the music
• Oigo a la vecina = I hear the neighbour

Even though in English we do not add anything before the neighbour, Spanish normally does.

Why is it a la vecina and not just a vecina?