escuchador
Lemma Details
Translation: listener; one who listens
Part of Speech: noun
Etymology: Derived from the verb 'escuchar' (to listen) + the suffix '-dor' which indicates the agent who performs an action. 'Escuchar' comes from Latin 'auscultare' meaning 'to listen attentively'. The English word 'auscultate' (to examine by listening to sounds within the body) shares this Latin root. The '-dor' suffix is equivalent to the English '-er' in words like 'listener'.
Commonality: 30%
Guessability: 70%
Register: standard
Example Usage
Mnemonics
- Think of 'escuchador' as someone who 'scouts' for sounds - 'escucha' sounds a bit like 'scout'.
- The '-dor' ending works like '-er' in English: escuchador = listener, just as trabajador = worker.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Antonyms
Cultural Context
While 'escuchador' is a grammatically correct formation, 'oyente' is more commonly used in everyday Spanish to refer to a listener, especially in contexts like radio audiences.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While both mean 'listener', 'oyente' (from 'oír' - to hear) is more commonly used, especially for audiences of media. 'Escuchador' emphasizes the active process of listening attentively.
This word:
Él es un escuchador atento durante las reuniones.
He is an attentive listener during meetings.
Confused word:
Los oyentes de la radio llamaron para participar en el concurso.
The radio listeners called to participate in the contest.
Notes: In many contexts, these terms are interchangeable, but 'oyente' is generally more common in everyday speech.
Mnemonic: 'Escuchador' contains 'escucha' (listen) suggesting active listening, while 'oyente' contains 'oye' (hear) suggesting passive hearing.
Explanation: Both are derived from 'escuchar' but 'escuchante' uses the present participle form as a noun, while 'escuchador' uses the agent suffix '-dor'. 'Escuchante' is much less common.
Confused word:
Los escuchantes permanecieron en silencio durante toda la conferencia.
The listeners remained silent throughout the conference.
Notes: 'Escuchante' is much less common and might sound unusual to native speakers in many contexts.
Mnemonic: '-dor' indicates a person who regularly performs an action (escuchador), while '-ante' indicates someone currently performing the action (escuchante).