Hear vs Listen at a glance
- hear
/hɪə/ · verb
To notice sounds with your ears, often without trying.
- Can you hear me? The connection is bad.
- I could hear the neighbours arguing all night.
- listen
/ˈlɪsn/ · verb
To pay attention to sounds or to what someone is saying, on purpose.
- I like to listen to podcasts on my way to work.
- You never listen when I'm talking to you!
How to remember it
Hear is like see (your ears just work), listen is like watch (you focus). Music, podcasts and teachers are things you listen to.
Good to know
Hear is usually not used in continuous tenses for this meaning: say "I can hear" rather than "I am hearing". Hear about/of means find out about. Past forms: hear, heard, heard.
Common mistakes
Wrong: I'm hearing music while I study.
Right: I'm listening to music while I study.
Wrong: Please listen me carefully.
Right: Please listen to me carefully.
Wrong: Did you listen that noise outside?
Right: Did you hear that noise outside?
Quick quiz
1.Speak up, please, I can't you.
2.You should to your doctor's advice.
Pick the right word for each gap.