parar la oreja: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  All Spanish-speaking regionsneutral
  • To physically turn or tilt one's ear toward a sound in order to hear it better.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Durante la charla, Marta paró la oreja para no perder ningún detalle de lo que decían los expertos.

    During the talk, Marta tilted her ear to catch every detail of what the experts were saying.

  • Cuando escuché un ruido extraño, paré la oreja para identificar de dónde provenía.

    When I heard a strange noise, I turned my ear to identify where it was coming from.

  • Los niños pararon la oreja atentos al cuento que la abuela les estaba contando.

    The children turned their ears attentively to the story their grandmother was telling them.

  • ¿Has parado la oreja cuando pasaron esas noticias por la radio?

    Did you listen carefully when that news came on the radio?

• 2.

  SpainLatin Americacolloquial
  • To listen attentively or eavesdrop; to pay close attention to what is being said.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Siempre paro la oreja cuando hablan de promociones en la tienda para aprovechar las ofertas.

    I always listen attentively when they talk about promotions in the store to take advantage of the deals.

  • ¿No paraste la oreja en la reunión? Dijeron que habrá cambios importantes en la empresa.

    Didn't you pay attention in the meeting? They said there will be important changes in the company.

  • Mientras conversaban, yo paraba la oreja para enterarme de los planes que tenían sin que me vieran.

    While they were talking, I eavesdropped to find out their plans without being seen.