Communication strategies help to reduce comprehension problems when a new language is learnt. This research was intended to identify the frequency of communicative strategies employed by university learners to overcome English listening comprehension problems in oral messages, and to analyze the relation between the use of these strategies and the students' linguistic level. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 542 participants; the listening questionnaire from the instrument OCSI (Oral Communication Strategy Inventory) was used. Data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics and findings indicated that the strategies most used by students correspond to negotiation for meaning, nonverbal strategies and word-oriented. In regards with the use of listening strategies with levels A2 (elementary) and B1 (intermediate), no difference was found between both groups.