• Versus

Listen versus Hear

Hear is the act of naturally perceiving sounds with your ears, while listen involves actively paying attention and processing the sounds or words you hear.

Listen is something you focus on doing:

  • Do you listen to music in bed?

    We always use to after listen before an object:

  • Every morning I listen to my Mozart CD while I’m having breakfast. It prepares me mentally for the day.

Hear is something you don't focus on doing:

  • Suddenly I heard a noise. Someone was in the garden.
  • Did you hear the thunder last night?
  • The connection is very bad. I can’t hear you.
This lesson is not easy, so don't worry if you make a lot of mistakes with the quiz. Remember practice makes perfect. Do the quiz as many time as you need.

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