Spanish Phrase
No te oigo muy bien.
Meaning
Literally, ‘I don’t hear you very well.’ It’s used when the speaker is having trouble understanding the other person because the audio is faint, distorted, or the speaker is far away.
When to use
Use this phrase during phone calls, video chats, or in noisy environments when you need the other person to speak louder or repeat themselves. It’s a polite way to signal a listening problem without blaming the speaker.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Noteoigomuybien
Negación (No)
‘No’ placed before the verb negates the whole clause, meaning ‘not’ or ‘don’t’. It always precedes the verb in Spanish.
Pronombre de objeto indirecto (te)
‘te’ is the second‑person singular indirect object pronoun, here meaning ‘to you’ – ‘I don’t hear you’. It comes before the conjugated verb.
Verbo oír (oigo)
‘oír’ = ‘to hear’. In the present indicative, first‑person singular is ‘oigo’. Note the irregular diphthong ‘oi‑’ and the soft ‘g’ sound.
Adverbio de intensidad (muy)
‘muy’ intensifies the following adjective or adverb. Here it strengthens ‘bien’ to mean ‘very well’.
Adverbio de modo (bien)
‘bien’ means ‘well’. Combined with ‘muy’, the phrase literally says ‘not hear you very well’.
🗨In Conversation
No te oigo muy bien.
I can’t hear you very well.
¿Puedes hablar más despacio y cerca del micrófono, por favor?
Can you speak more slowly and closer to the microphone, please?
✕Common Mistakes
No te oí muy bien.
‘Oí’ is past tense (I heard). The present tense ‘oigo’ is needed for a current problem.
No te escucho muy bien.
‘Escuchar’ means ‘to listen to’, not ‘to hear’. Mixing ‘te’ with ‘escucho’ changes the meaning.
No te oigo bien.
Leaving out ‘muy’ is acceptable, but learners often forget it and lose the nuance of ‘very’.
↔Alternatives
No te escucho bien.
I don’t hear you well.
Te oigo con dificultad.
I hear you with difficulty.
No te entiendo bien por el ruido.
I don’t understand you well because of the noise.
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking countries it’s considered courteous to add ‘por favor’ or ‘disculpa’ before asking someone to repeat or speak louder. Also, avoid sounding abrupt; a friendly tone helps keep the conversation smooth.