'Hear' versus 'Listen to'

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

Although Conchita has once explained to me very well the difference between hear and listen to, I seem to need some more explanation. :shock:

Can we listen to someone coughing?
Can we listen to the door bell ringing?

Can we hear someone with full attention?

Please explain!

Tom

2

Listen v Hear:

Listening is the active attempt to hear things.
Hearing happens involuntarily/passively whether you try or not.

You might have difficulty hearing something on the radio, now matter how hard you listen, because you can hear some other noise nearby, people talking loudly beside you.

If you want to hear something soft, quiet, in the distance you must listen carefully.

3

Hi Tom

To add to what Art mentioned, here is my version of the basic differences:

hear --> This is a sense. It’s not active, it’s passive. You hear due to the fact that you have ears.

listen --> This is an active process. You listen because you want to know what is being said, because you enjoy the music, because you want to learn something, etc.

It is possible to hear someone talking without listening to them. The opposite is not possible!

Amy

4

Hi Tom,

In addition to what Amy and dOlier have said, you might want to take a look at this:

Hear vs listen
[size=75]http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic706.html[/size][YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEFL listening discussions: How long should the student’s essays be?[YSaerTTEW443543]

5

And one more post to address the specific sentences:

You’d normally say “hear someone coughing”.
However a worried mother might “listen to a sick child’s coughing” in order to try to determine whether the cough was getting worse or improving, for example.

You’d normally “hear the doorbell ring”.

When you are paying careful attention to what someone is saying, you’re “listening to them carefully”.

And, one more time, you have to first be able to hear something before you can listen to it.

Amy

6

Hello, What is the difference between hear and listen?? And How I know when I need to use say or tell??

7

When you HEAR st., the voice or sound goes into your ears without your attention.

When you LISTEN, the voice or sound goes into your ears with your attention (you want to)

We use SAY when we focus on the contents.

  • Please say it again. - They say that he is very ill.
    We use TELL when we have or focus on listeners.
  • The teacher is telling the class an interesting story.
  • Please tell him to come to the blackboard.
8

Is there a rule to use listen or hear in a sentence? I fillet test about it and I failed in this topic.Thanks.