Hear vs. Listen

2023-08-05

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1
  • Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "listen" and "hear."
  • 2
  • Hello,
  • 3
  • My name is Waleed. And I am from Egypt. I would like to ask about the difference between "hear" and "listen."
  • 4
  • Thanks in advance,
  • 5
  • Waleed
  • 6
  • Thanks for writing to us, Waleed.
  • 7
  • This is an excellent question.
  • 8
  • Both words have to do with sounds and our ears, but they do not mean the same thing. Let's look at each.
  • 9
  • "Hear" is a verb that can either take a direct object or not.
  • 10
  • It has several meanings.
  • 11
  • First, in its simplest form, the word means to receive sound through the ear.
  • 12
  • Every few hours I hear the whistle of the train.
  • 13
  • "Hear" can mean to get information or knowledge by hearing something.
  • 14
  • I hear that we need to clean out our offices soon!
  • 15
  • "Hear" also means to receive communication from someone.
  • 16
  • Nathan has not heard from his mother in a while. He needs to call her.
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  • "Hear" can share a meaning with the word "listen."
  • 18
  • To say you "hear" someone means that you listened to them with attention.
  • 19
  • I hear your side of the story, but I do not agree.
  • 20
  • Let's move on to "listen."
  • 21
  • Just like the last meaning we gave for "hear," "listen" means to hear with attention and understanding.
  • 22
  • We often use the preposition "to" with it.
  • 23
  • It is difficult to listen to my teacher for a long time.
  • 24
  • "Listen" can mean paying attention to sounds or being alert enough to catch and understand sounds.
  • 25
  • Maria listens to a lot of different kinds of music.
  • 26
  • My cat listens for the sound of the can-opener to know when it is dinner time.
  • 27
  • And when speaking informally, "listen" can be a noun meaning the act of listening itself.
  • 28
  • Give this a listen! It's Carly Rae Jepsen's new song.
  • 29
  • The biggest difference between "hearing" something and "listening" to something is the amount of attention given to the process.
  • 30
  • "Hearing" is what we usually call a passive activity, sounds are coming into your ear, you receive them, but you are not necessarily paying attention to them. "Listening" suggests an active effort that requires attention.
  • 31
  • Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Waleed.
  • 32
  • Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
  • 33
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
  • 34
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 1
  • Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "listen" and "hear."
  • 2
  • Question:
  • 3
  • Hello,
  • 4
  • My name is Waleed. And I am from Egypt. I would like to ask about the difference between "hear" and "listen."
  • 5
  • Thanks in advance,
  • 6
  • Waleed
  • 7
  • Answer:
  • 8
  • Thanks for writing to us, Waleed.
  • 9
  • This is an excellent question. Both words have to do with sounds and our ears, but they do not mean the same thing. Let's look at each.
  • 10
  • Hear
  • 11
  • "Hear" is a verb that can either take a direct object or not. It has several meanings. First, in its simplest form, the word means to receive sound through the ear.
  • 12
  • Every few hours I hear the whistle of the train.
  • 13
  • "Hear" can mean to get information or knowledge by hearing something.
  • 14
  • I hear that we need to clean out our offices soon!
  • 15
  • "Hear" also means to receive communication from someone.
  • 16
  • Nathan has not heard from his mother in a while. He needs to call her.
  • 17
  • "Hear" can share a meaning with the word "listen." To say you "hear" someone means that you listened to them with attention.
  • 18
  • I hear your side of the story, but I do not agree.
  • 19
  • Let's move on to "listen."
  • 20
  • Listen
  • 21
  • Just like the last meaning we gave for "hear," "listen" means to hear with attention and understanding. We often use the preposition "to" with it.
  • 22
  • It is difficult to listen to my teacher for a long time.
  • 23
  • "Listen" can mean paying attention to sounds or being alert enough to catch and understand sounds.
  • 24
  • Maria listens to a lot of different kinds of music.
  • 25
  • My cat listens for the sound of the can-opener to know when it is dinner time.
  • 26
  • And when speaking informally, "listen" can be a noun meaning the act of listening itself.
  • 27
  • Give this a listen! It's Carly Rae Jepsen's new song.
  • 28
  • The biggest difference between "hearing" something and "listening" to something is the amount of attention given to the process. "Hearing" is what we usually call a passive activity, sounds are coming into your ear, you receive them, but you are not necessarily paying attention to them. "Listening" suggests an active effort that requires attention.
  • 29
  • Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Waleed.
  • 30
  • Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
  • 31
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
  • 32
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 33
  • Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
  • 34
  • ______________________________________________________
  • 35
  • Words in This Story
  • 36
  • whistle - v. to make a high sound by forcing air through a small hole in the mouth
  • 37
  • passive - adj. the quality of not being active or not taking action and letting things happen
  • 38
  • active - adj. the quality of taking action or being the agent of some effort or activity
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  • ______________________________________________________
  • 40
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  • 41
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