Hi there! This week on
Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between
LISTEN and HEAR.
QUESTION: Hello, My name is Waleed. And I
am from Egypt. I would like to ask about the difference between HEAR and LISTEN. Thanks in advance, Waleed.
Egypt:
Egipto; thanks in advance: gracias de antemano;
ANSWER:
Thanks for writing to us,
Waleed. 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.
both words:
ambas palabras o términos; have to do with: están relacionados con;
sounds and our ears: (los) sonidos y nuestros oídos; they do not mean:
no sigmificsm; the same thing: lo mismo; at each: a cada uno;
HEAR
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.
either take a ... or
not: o tomar un ... o ninguno; several meanings: varios significados;
its simplest form: su forma más simple; through: a través del;
Every few hours I hear the whistle of the train.
Cada dos o tres horas escucho el silbato del tren.
HEAR can mean to get
information or knowledge by hearing something:
can mean:
puede significar; knowledge: conocimiento; by hearing: escuchando;
I hear that we need to clean out our offices soon!
¡Escuché que necesitamos dejar ordenadas nuestras oficinas pronto!
HEAR also means to
receive communication from someone:
receive
communication from: recibir noticias o novedades de;
Nathan has not heard from his mother in a while. He needs to call her.
Nathan no ha tenido noticias de su madre en mucho tiempo. Tiene que
llamarla.
HEAR can share a meaning
with the word LISTEN. To say you HEAR someone means that you listened to
them with attention:
can share:
puede compartir; with attention: prestando atención;
I hear your side of the story, but I do not agree.
Escucho tu versión de la historia, pero no estoy de acuerdo.
LISTEN
Let’s move on to LISTEN. 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.
let's move on
to: pasemos (ahora) a; just like: exactamente como; we gave for:
que dimos para; understanding: comprensión; we often use: a menudo
se usa; the preposition TO with it: la preposición TO con él (verbo
LISTEN);
It is difficult to listen to my teacher for a long time.
Es difícil escuchar a mi maestro durante mucho tiempo.
LISTEN can mean paying
attention to sounds or being alert enough to catch and understand sounds.
paying
attention: prestar atención; being alert enough: estar lo
suficientemente atento/a; to catch: para detectar;
Maria listens to a lot of different kinds of music.
María escucha muchos tipos diferentes de música.
My cat listens for the sound of the can-opener to know when it is dinner
time.
Mi gato escucha el sonido del abrelatas para saber cuándo es la hora de
cenar.
And when speaking
informally, LISTEN can be a noun meaning the act of listening itself.
the act of
listening itself: el propio acto de escuchar (uso informal);
Give this a listen! It’s Carly Rae Jepsen’s new song.
¡Escuchen esto! Es la nueva canción de Carly Rae Jepsen.
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.
the biggest: la
mayor; the amount of attention: la cantdad de atención.
And that’s Ask a
Teacher. I’m Faith Pirlo.