Why aren't verbs like 'oir' in Spanish reflexive?

Question

"oir' is not reflexive but doesn't the subject also 'receive ' the action?

Answer 1

Any verb can (and is) used reflexively. "I hear myself" is an expression that is sometimes used, and in such instance, "me oigo" is what you would use. I was surprised at first, just a little, to find the abundance of reflexive tense used where I lived (in Argentina).

Answer 2

No.  I could say "I hear myself" -- Me oigo.

But generally, YOU hear me.  "Me oyes."

Or he hears you.  "Te oye."

They hear it, too.  "Ellos lo oyen también."

You're using the direct object pronouns.

Answer 3

Almost any Spanish verb can be used as reflexive too. Even verbs as "reventar" (blow up), "comer" (to eat), etc, specially when talking in figurative sense. But, with "oir" you don´t need to be figurative. You actually can "hear yourself" (oirte a ti mismo).

So, is very common to say:

Yo me oigo (I hear myself) , Tu te oyes (you hear yourself) . ¿Te estás oyendo? (Do you hear what are you saying?)  Ni siquiera me podía oír a mí mismo (I even couldn´t hear myself).

Answer 4

Who hears? you. What do you hear? Not yourself. So the verb is not reflexive. Reflexive means that the grammatical subject and object are the same. Not the case with oir, unless you hear your own noise, of course.