It`s just like English. Escutar means listen and ouvir (not ourvir) means hear.

escutar is often refered to listening and understanding what the person said However Ouvir means listening to something wheter you're paying atention or not

Hi, Alex! I don't make any difference between those verbs myself. For me, both work fine in almost situation I can think of. For example: "Eu gosto de ouvir/escutar música" (I like to listen to music), "Me escuta/ouve, menino!" (listen to me!), "Você ouviu/escutou esse barulho?" (Did you hear that noise?), etc. I can think only of one situation where I would use "ouvir" over "escutar": Eu ouvi dizer que ela está grávida (I heard she's pregnant) = Eu ouvi falar que ela está grávida. Hope that helps! ;) Feel free to ask me any question ^^

Escutar is better to talk that you is understanding.

Ouvir: Refers to the hearing, is the ability to hear. it doesn't necessarily mean you are paying attention to what you are being said. Escutar: you pay attention to what you are being said, plus you comprehend and then give your opinion if you'd like to. Both words are interchangeable in some cases such as: 1) Gosto de ouvir/escutar música enquanto estudo. I like listening to music while I study.