Hear vs. Listen
2023-08-05
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1Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "listen" and "hear."
2Hello,
3My name is Waleed. And I am from Egypt. I would like to ask about the difference between "hear" and "listen."
4Thanks in advance,
5Waleed
6Thanks for writing to us, Waleed.
7This is an excellent question.
8Both 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.
10It has several meanings.
11First, in its simplest form, the word means to receive sound through the ear.
12Every few hours I hear the whistle of the train.
13"Hear" can mean to get information or knowledge by hearing something.
14I hear that we need to clean out our offices soon!
15"Hear" also means to receive communication from someone.
16Nathan has not heard from his mother in a while. He needs to call her.
17"Hear" can share a meaning with the word "listen."
18To say you "hear" someone means that you listened to them with attention.
19I hear your side of the story, but I do not agree.
20Let's move on to "listen."
21Just like the last meaning we gave for "hear," "listen" means to hear with attention and understanding.
22We often use the preposition "to" with it.
23It 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.
25Maria listens to a lot of different kinds of music.
26My cat listens for the sound of the can-opener to know when it is dinner time.
27And when speaking informally, "listen" can be a noun meaning the act of listening itself.
28Give this a listen! It's Carly Rae Jepsen's new song.
29The 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.
31Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Waleed.
32Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
33And that's Ask a Teacher.
34I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "listen" and "hear." 2Question: 3Hello, 4My name is Waleed. And I am from Egypt. I would like to ask about the difference between "hear" and "listen." 5Thanks in advance, 6Waleed 7Answer: 8Thanks for writing to us, Waleed. 9This 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. 10Hear 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. 12Every few hours I hear the whistle of the train. 13"Hear" can mean to get information or knowledge by hearing something. 14I hear that we need to clean out our offices soon! 15"Hear" also means to receive communication from someone. 16Nathan 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. 18I hear your side of the story, but I do not agree. 19Let's move on to "listen." 20Listen 21Just like the last meaning we gave for "hear," "listen" means to hear with attention and understanding. We often use the preposition "to" with it. 22It 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. 24Maria listens to a lot of different kinds of music. 25My cat listens for the sound of the can-opener to know when it is dinner time. 26And when speaking informally, "listen" can be a noun meaning the act of listening itself. 27Give this a listen! It's Carly Rae Jepsen's new song. 28The 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. 29Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Waleed. 30Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 31And that's Ask a Teacher. 32I'm Faith Pirlo. 33Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 34______________________________________________________ 35Words in This Story 36whistle - v. to make a high sound by forcing air through a small hole in the mouth 37passive - adj. the quality of not being active or not taking action and letting things happen 38active - adj. the quality of taking action or being the agent of some effort or activity 39______________________________________________________ 40Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 41Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.