Hear can mean perceive a sound, even without deliberately listening.
The idea
Say hear a noise or can you hear me? The past and participle are heard. Listen to emphasizes paying attention to sound.
Examples
- I heard a noise outside.
- Can you hear me on the phone?
- She heard the train arrive.
- We could hear music through the wall.
- He heard the question but did not answer.
- They heard a bird in the garden.
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Watch out
Hear and listen to can overlap, but they emphasize perception and attentive action respectively. Use to after listen before its object.
Try it yourself
Choose the past form. Yesterday I ___ a noise outside. (heard / heared)
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heard
Heard is the irregular past of hear.
Choose the deliberate listening phrase. I paid close attention to the song: I ___ the song. (listened to / heard about)
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listened to
Listen to emphasizes the deliberate action of paying attention.
Choose the direct-object phrase. Which directly names the sound perceived? (hear a noise / hear to a noise)
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hear a noise
Hear takes the sound directly as its object.
Practice round
Answer questions and rebuild English sentences to practise. Your score is shown.
Choose the past form. Yesterday I ___ a noise outside. (heard / heared)
Choose the deliberate listening phrase. I paid close attention to the song: I ___ the song. (listened to / heard about)
Choose the direct-object phrase. Which directly names the sound perceived? (hear a noise / hear to a noise)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Describe a sound you heard and something you listened to carefully.