[Grammar] 'Hear' OR 'Listen'?

2년 전

[Practice with the video and exercises provided in the video's description]

Often, these words are interchangeable (they can have the same meaning)

“Can you hear me?”
“Yeah, I’m listening.”

“Are you listening to me?”
“Yeah, I hear you. Keep talking."
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So, what are the differences?
-to hear = passive
-to listen = active

If you’re just walking around a public place, maybe you hear lots of things. Music, conversations, cars, but you’re not listening to any of it- you just hear it all. You’re not focusing on any of it. That’s what makes hearing a passive verb.
Listening is active because it requires focus.

So, I’m the kind of person that prefers to have noise in the background while I’m studying or working on something. Sometimes, I put on some music, a podcast, or a YouTube video to help me focus. I’m not always focused on what the people are saying, but sometimes I tune in and listen to it for a moment because maybe I heard something interesting or my favorite song just turned on. At that point, I’m listening to whatever it is, not just hearing it as background noise.

So, again, these two words are often interchangeable, but these are the real differences between hearing and listening.
Hearing is passive and doesn’t require focus, while listening is active and requires your focus and attention.
[Practice with the video and exercises provided in the video's description]

Good luck!
-Malcolm Mallard