Hear or Listen...? Which one should you use?

In English, the words "hear" and "listen" are 2 verbs that often confuse English learners due to their similar meanings. These two words are used in very different ways and have different meanings.

This blog will clarify the difference between hear and listen and make you one step closer to being fluent.

Hear: The Act of Not Trying

When we use the verb "hear," we are talking about things that you hear by accident or things you are not trying to hear, like a car horn, or someone's phone ringing, or the beep of an alarm. It means that the sounds enter your ears whether or not you are trying to pay attention to them.

Tip: Hearing is a physical ability and does not require effort or intention.

Examples:

1. "I can hear the birds chirping outside my window." (It means the sounds of the birds reach your ears without you trying to listen to them.)

2. "Did you hear that noise just now?" (This question asks if the sound was perceived, not if you were intentionally listening for it.)

3. "I heard the door bell, I think someone is here."

4. "I cant hear you, can you speak louder." (this talks about the physical ability of hearing)

Listen: The Act of Trying

On the other hand, "listen" refers to the act of paying attention to what you hear. When you listen, you make an effort to hear and understand something. Listening involves focusing on the sounds or words being spoken to understand the message.

Examples:

1. "Please listen carefully to the instructions." (This sentence asks you to pay close attention to what is being said.)

2. "I listen to my favorite music when I feel sad." (Here, you are actively engaging with the music, not just hearing it by accident.)

3. I am sorry, I wasn't listening, can you say it again. (this means you heard the person, but you weren't listening so you did not understand understand anything.)

4. I love to listen to podcasts.

common mistakes:

I like to hear music after work. (we don't hear music, we listen to it)

Dan likes to hear podcasts. (we don't hear podcasts, we listen to them)

I listened to the alarm, and then i got out of bed. (Nobody listens to an alarm, we hear an alarm.)

i hate when i can listen to my neighbors arguing. (this doesn't make sense, listening means you want to hear something, this sentence should use the word "hear")

Conclusion

Using these two words in the wrong way can be very noticeable and be embarrassing.

remember:

• You hear things by accident. Hearing is physical ability.

• You listen to things on purpose. Listening requires effort.

Fixing this mistake can be a big step in becoming fluent.

I hope this post helped you, comment below if you have any questions and come back next week for another useful post!

See you next time!