🎵 Music

⏱ 14 min read

In this lesson you will learn useful English vocabulary and everyday expressions for talking about music, songs, singers, musical instruments, music genres, concerts, and your favorite artists. Each English word or phrase includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Basic Music Vocabulary

🎵 Music
sounds arranged in a way that people enjoy
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Música
🇫🇷 French: Musique
🇩🇪 German: Musik
🇮🇹 Italian: Musica
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Música
🎶 Song
a piece of music with words
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Canción
🇫🇷 French: Chanson
🇩🇪 German: Lied / Song
🇮🇹 Italian: Canzone
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Canção / Música
🎤 Singer
a person who sings
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cantante
🇫🇷 French: Chanteur / Chanteuse
🇩🇪 German: Sänger / Sängerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Cantante
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cantor / Cantora
🎸 Guitar
an instrument with strings that you play with your hands
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Guitarra
🇫🇷 French: Guitare
🇩🇪 German: Gitarre
🇮🇹 Italian: Chitarra
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Guitarra
🥁 Drums
an instrument you hit to make a beat
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Batería
🇫🇷 French: Batterie
🇩🇪 German: Schlagzeug
🇮🇹 Italian: Batteria
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Bateria
🎹 Piano
an instrument with keys that you press
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Piano
🇫🇷 French: Piano
🇩🇪 German: Klavier
🇮🇹 Italian: Pianoforte / Piano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Piano

🟡 Music & Entertainment Vocabulary

🎧 Headphones
speakers you wear over your ears
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Audífonos
🇫🇷 French: Écouteurs / Casque
🇩🇪 German: Kopfhörer
🇮🇹 Italian: Cuffie
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fones de ouvido
🎼 Concert
a live music show for an audience
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Concierto
🇫🇷 French: Concert
🇩🇪 German: Konzert
🇮🇹 Italian: Concerto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Show / Concerto
📻 Radio
a device or station that plays music and news
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Radio
🇫🇷 French: Radio
🇩🇪 German: Radio
🇮🇹 Italian: Radio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Rádio
🎙️ Band
a group of musicians who play together
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Banda
🇫🇷 French: Groupe / Band
🇩🇪 German: Band
🇮🇹 Italian: Band / Gruppo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Banda
💿 Album
a collection of songs by an artist
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Álbum
🇫🇷 French: Album
🇩🇪 German: Album
🇮🇹 Italian: Album
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Álbum
🎺 Trumpet
a brass instrument you blow into
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Trompeta
🇫🇷 French: Trompette
🇩🇪 German: Trompete
🇮🇹 Italian: Tromba
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trompete

🎶 Music Genres

🎸 Rock
a loud style often played with guitars
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Rock
🇫🇷 French: Rock
🇩🇪 German: Rock
🇮🇹 Italian: Rock
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Rock
🎤 Pop
popular music that is easy to sing along to
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Pop
🇫🇷 French: Pop
🇩🇪 German: Pop
🇮🇹 Italian: Pop
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pop
🎷 Jazz
a style with rich sound and improvisation
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Jazz
🇫🇷 French: Jazz
🇩🇪 German: Jazz
🇮🇹 Italian: Jazz
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jazz
🎻 Classical music
music written for orchestra and formal concert halls
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Música clásica
🇫🇷 French: Musique classique
🇩🇪 German: Klassische Musik
🇮🇹 Italian: Musica classica
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Música clássica
💃 Salsa
lively Latin dance music
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Salsa
🇫🇷 French: Salsa
🇩🇪 German: Salsa
🇮🇹 Italian: Salsa
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Salsa
🎧 Electronic music
music made with computers and electronic sounds
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Música electrónica
🇫🇷 French: Musique électronique
🇩🇪 German: Elektronische Musik
🇮🇹 Italian: Musica elettronica
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Música eletrônica

🎤 Music Actions

🎧 To listen
to hear music on purpose
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Escuchar
🇫🇷 French: Écouter
🇩🇪 German: Hören
🇮🇹 Italian: Ascoltare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ouvir
🎤 To sing
to make music with your voice
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cantar
🇫🇷 French: Chanter
🇩🇪 German: Singen
🇮🇹 Italian: Cantare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cantar
🎸 To play an instrument
to make music on a guitar, piano, or similar
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Tocar un instrumento
🇫🇷 French: Jouer d'un instrument
🇩🇪 German: Ein Instrument spielen
🇮🇹 Italian: Suonare uno strumento
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tocar um instrumento
💃 To dance
to move your body to music
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Bailar
🇫🇷 French: Danser
🇩🇪 German: Tanzen
🇮🇹 Italian: Ballare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Dançar
🎶 To sound
to produce a certain kind of noise or music
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Sonar
🇫🇷 French: Sonner
🇩🇪 German: Klingen
🇮🇹 Italian: Suonare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Soar
🎼 To practice
to repeat music so you get better
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Practicar
🇫🇷 French: Pratiquer
🇩🇪 German: Üben
🇮🇹 Italian: Praticare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Praticar

🧠 Talking About Music

💡 Use listen to when talking about listening to music.
I listen to music every day.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Escucho música todos los días.
🇫🇷 J'écoute de la musique tous les jours.
🇩🇪 Ich höre jeden Tag Musik.
🇮🇹 Ascolto musica ogni giorno.
🇵🇹 Eu ouço música todos os dias.
I like listening to music while I work.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Me gusta escuchar música mientras trabajo.
🇫🇷 J'aime écouter de la musique pendant que je travaille.
🇩🇪 Ich höre gerne Musik, während ich arbeite.
🇮🇹 Mi piace ascoltare musica mentre lavoro.
🇵🇹 Eu gosto de ouvir música enquanto trabalho.
💡 Use play when talking about playing a musical instrument.
I play the guitar.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Toco la guitarra.
🇫🇷 Je joue de la guitare.
🇩🇪 Ich spiele Gitarre.
🇮🇹 Suono la chitarra.
🇵🇹 Eu toco guitarra.
My sister plays the piano.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Mi hermana toca el piano.
🇫🇷 Ma sœur joue du piano.
🇩🇪 Meine Schwester spielt Klavier.
🇮🇹 Mia sorella suona il pianoforte.
🇵🇹 A minha irmã toca piano.
💡 Use like to talk about the music, songs, or genres you enjoy.
I like jazz.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Me gusta el jazz.
🇫🇷 J'aime le jazz.
🇩🇪 Ich mag Jazz.
🇮🇹 Mi piace il jazz.
🇵🇹 Eu gosto de jazz.
I like these songs.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Me gustan estas canciones.
🇫🇷 J'aime ces chansons.
🇩🇪 Ich mag diese Lieder.
🇮🇹 Mi piacciono queste canzoni.
🇵🇹 Eu gosto destas canções.

❓ Useful Questions About Music

🎵 What kind of music do you like?
asking which style of music you enjoy
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Qué tipo de música te gusta?
🇫🇷 French: Quel genre de musique aimes-tu ?
🇩🇪 German: Welche Art von Musik magst du?
🇮🇹 Italian: Che tipo di musica ti piace?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Que tipo de música você gosta?
🎤 Who is your favorite singer?
asking which singer you like most
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Quién es tu cantante favorito?
🇫🇷 French: Qui est ton chanteur préféré ?
🇩🇪 German: Wer ist dein Lieblingssänger?
🇮🇹 Italian: Chi è il tuo cantante preferito?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quem é o seu cantor favorito?
🎶 What is your favorite song?
asking which song you enjoy most
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cuál es tu canción favorita?
🇫🇷 French: Quelle est ta chanson préférée ?
🇩🇪 German: Was ist dein Lieblingslied?
🇮🇹 Italian: Qual è la tua canzone preferita?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Qual é a sua canção favorita?
🎸 Do you play an instrument?
asking if you play guitar, piano, or another instrument
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Tocas algún instrumento?
🇫🇷 French: Joues-tu d'un instrument ?
🇩🇪 German: Spielst du ein Instrument?
🇮🇹 Italian: Suoni uno strumento?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Você toca algum instrumento?
🎼 Have you ever been to a concert?
asking if you have seen a live show
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Has ido alguna vez a un concierto?
🇫🇷 French: Es-tu déjà allé à un concert ?
🇩🇪 German: Warst du schon einmal auf einem Konzert?
🇮🇹 Italian: Sei mai andato a un concerto?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Você já foi a um show alguma vez?
💿 Have you listened to this album?
asking if you already know this collection of songs
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Has escuchado este álbum?
🇫🇷 French: As-tu écouté cet album ?
🇩🇪 German: Hast du dieses Album gehört?
🇮🇹 Italian: Hai ascoltato questo album?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Você já ouviu este álbum?

💬 Common Music Phrases

🎵 I really like this music.
you enjoy the song or style playing now
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Me gusta mucho esta música.
🇫🇷 French: J'aime beaucoup cette musique.
🇩🇪 German: Ich mag diese Musik sehr.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mi piace molto questa musica.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu gosto muito desta música.
🎤 The singer has an incredible voice.
the singer sounds unusually good
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El cantante tiene una voz increíble.
🇫🇷 French: Le chanteur a une voix incroyable.
🇩🇪 German: Der Sänger hat eine unglaubliche Stimme.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il cantante ha una voce incredibile.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O cantor tem uma voz incrível.
🎸 I play the guitar in my free time.
the guitar is one of your hobbies
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Toco la guitarra en mi tiempo libre.
🇫🇷 French: Je joue de la guitare pendant mon temps libre.
🇩🇪 German: Ich spiele in meiner Freizeit Gitarre.
🇮🇹 Italian: Suono la chitarra nel mio tempo libero.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu toco guitarra no meu tempo livre.
🎼 We are going to the concert on Saturday.
the live show is this Saturday
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Vamos al concierto el sábado.
🇫🇷 French: Nous allons au concert samedi.
🇩🇪 German: Wir gehen am Samstag zum Konzert.
🇮🇹 Italian: Andiamo al concerto sabato.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Nós vamos ao show no sábado.

💬 Everyday Conversations

Talking about favorite music
sharing genres and bands you enjoy
A: What kind of music do you like?
B: I really like rock.
A: What is your favorite band?
B: I have several favorite bands.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Qué tipo de música te gusta?
🇪🇸 B: Me gusta mucho el rock.
🇪🇸 A: ¿Cuál es tu banda favorita?
🇪🇸 B: Tengo varias bandas favoritas.

🇫🇷 A: Quel genre de musique aimes-tu ?
🇫🇷 B: J'aime beaucoup le rock.
🇫🇷 A: Quel est ton groupe préféré ?
🇫🇷 B: J'ai plusieurs groupes préférés.

🇩🇪 A: Welche Art von Musik magst du?
🇩🇪 B: Ich mag Rock sehr.
🇩🇪 A: Was ist deine Lieblingsband?
🇩🇪 B: Ich habe mehrere Lieblingsbands.

🇮🇹 A: Che tipo di musica ti piace?
🇮🇹 B: Mi piace molto il rock.
🇮🇹 A: Qual è la tua band preferita?
🇮🇹 B: Ho diverse band preferite.

🇵🇹 A: Que tipo de música você gosta?
🇵🇹 B: Eu gosto muito de rock.
🇵🇹 A: Qual é a sua banda favorita?
🇵🇹 B: Eu tenho várias bandas favoritas.
Talking about a concert
inviting someone to a live show
A: Do you want to go to the concert with me?
B: Yes. When is it?
A: It's Saturday night.
B: Perfect! I'd love to go.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Quieres ir al concierto conmigo?
🇪🇸 B: Sí. ¿Cuándo es?
🇪🇸 A: Es el sábado por la noche.
🇪🇸 B: ¡Perfecto! Me encantaría ir.

🇫🇷 A: Veux-tu aller au concert avec moi ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui. C'est quand ?
🇫🇷 A: C'est samedi soir.
🇫🇷 B: Parfait ! J'adorerais y aller.

🇩🇪 A: Willst du mit mir zum Konzert gehen?
🇩🇪 B: Ja. Wann ist es?
🇩🇪 A: Es ist Samstagabend.
🇩🇪 B: Perfekt! Ich würde gerne mitkommen.

🇮🇹 A: Vuoi andare al concerto con me?
🇮🇹 B: Sì. Quando è?
🇮🇹 A: È sabato sera.
🇮🇹 B: Perfetto! Mi piacerebbe molto andare.

🇵🇹 A: Você quer ir ao show comigo?
🇵🇹 B: Sim. Quando é?
🇵🇹 A: É sábado à noite.
🇵🇹 B: Perfeito! Eu adoraria ir.

📝 Example Sentences

🎹 The piano sounds very good.
the piano has a pleasant tone
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El piano suena muy bien.
🇫🇷 French: Le piano sonne très bien.
🇩🇪 German: Das Klavier klingt sehr gut.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il pianoforte suona molto bene.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O piano soa muito bem.
🎧 The headphones are comfortable for traveling.
they feel good to wear on a trip
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Los audífonos son cómodos para viajar.
🇫🇷 French: Les écouteurs sont confortables pour voyager.
🇩🇪 German: Die Kopfhörer sind bequem zum Reisen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Le cuffie sono comode per viaggiare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Os fones de ouvido são confortáveis para viajar.
💃 Dancing is a great way to have fun.
moving to music is enjoyable
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Bailar es una excelente forma de divertirse.
🇫🇷 French: Danser est une excellente façon de s'amuser.
🇩🇪 German: Tanzen ist eine großartige Art, Spaß zu haben.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ballare è un ottimo modo per divertirsi.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Dançar é uma excelente forma de se divertir.
📻 I listen to the radio while driving.
radio keeps you company in the car
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Escucho la radio mientras conduzco.
🇫🇷 French: J'écoute la radio en conduisant.
🇩🇪 German: Ich höre Radio, während ich fahre.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ascolto la radio mentre guida.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu ouço o rádio enquanto dirijo.
🎶 This song reminds me of my vacation.
the song brings back travel memories
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Esta canción me recuerda a mis vacaciones.
🇫🇷 French: Cette chanson me rappelle mes vacances.
🇩🇪 German: Dieses Lied erinnert mich an meinen Urlaub.
🇮🇹 Italian: Questa canzone mi ricorda le mie vacanze.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Esta canção me lembra as minhas férias.
🎤 My favorite singer has a new album.
the artist you like just released more songs
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi cantante favorito tiene un nuevo álbum.
🇫🇷 French: Mon chanteur préféré a un nouvel album.
🇩🇪 German: Mein Lieblingssänger hat ein neues Album.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il mio cantante preferito ha un nuovo album.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O meu cantor favorito tem um novo álbum.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the word or phrase that fits best. Do not pick a close music word if a more precise one is on the page.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%