Basic English Lesson: LISTEN or HEAR?

TRANSCRIPT

So, let's have a look first at "listen", which is quite an active thing. You're really concentrating when you're listening, listening to a piece of music, really thinking about it as you're listening, so it's quite active. So, "listening to something", you're using the preposition with it. Listening to the radio, listening to a CD, listening to. Somebody might say to a friend: "Oh, you never listen to me. I'm telling you something, but you're not listening. You're thinking about something else. You never listen to me." So, "to" again, there. "You don't concentrate on what I'm saying." Okay? And there's another way you can use "listen", you can "listen out" for something. That's a different preposition. If you're in an office and your colleague needs to go out, they're expecting a phone call, they might say to you: "Will you listen out for the phone? And answer the phone for me while I'm not here? Take a message", maybe. "Will you listen out for the phone?" So it's quite an active listening, focusing, concentrating on the sound. Okay.

Compared with that, "to hear" is a little bit more passive. You sort of receive the soundwaves into your ears, whether you decide to or not. So, someone might say: "Did you hear that strange noise just then?" You weren't listening for a noise, but you heard a noise. It sort of came in through your ear into your brain, and your brain recognized: "Oh, what was that noise?" So: "Did you hear that strange noise?" Okay? And another one, if you don't hear what someone says: "Could you speak up, please?" Meaning: Speak more loudly. "I can't hear you." So, you wouldn't say: "I can't listen you", that... That's not right. "I can't hear you." The sound isn't getting to my ear. Okay. If a friend wants to tell you about something, and you don't really... You're not interested, really: "I don't want to hear about that." I don't want to receive that information. Okay? And then finally, last example: "Have you heard", so this is the past tense. "Have you heard from your sister recently?" So, "to hear from" someone, another preposition is to receive maybe a phone call. You're not expecting it, maybe, the phone rings, you answer it. Ah, it's your sister. You've heard from your sister. Okay.

[OscarGoesToOskar]

She is so cute and intelligent, i would like to have a teacher like her for every subject.

[elisabettarecchiuti]

Thank you teacher! Could you do also a lesson on the difference between say and tell?

[张浩成-ur]

The cuteness of this teacher is real though ! Thanks mam for your great lessons ! 谢谢老师 ！

[pilargutierrezgonzalez]

Hello Gill.Thank you so much for the lessons.I wish you the best from Spain.

[mariacasado]

Thank you teacher gill ! Nice to be in class listening to you.

[gauravpandey]

Thank you soo much for making these videos on basic grammar, sometimes they are very confusing but you make it easy to understand for us !

[yaseen]

Hey Gill. Wonderful video.
Your explanation is profound and precise. Keep up the good work

[QuynhNhu-nflq]

Thankyou. The lesson is very clear. Love your way of speaking

[marianelidaorallocorral]

Gill is the best teacher l have ever known.

[lagrouabdelghani]

You are so intelligent at understanding leçons

[carlosa.cisnerosr.]

You are very clear when you speak, thanks

[henryseidel]

Excellent explanation, thank you very much. I think the same semantic principle is true for 'see' and 'watch'. Seeing happens incidentally, watching is an intentional action. That is at least the way we learnt it in our English lessons in German schools.

[marmsofa]

I really love your videos, they are so helpful in studying English. Fortunately, there is similar difference between these words in Russian, so it was really easy to understand ❤️

[osmandafaalla]

Really you are a wonderful teacher these are a useful lessons thank you so much

[zahedab.d]

you are amazing teacher thanks more than more

[anthrogirl]

I love your videos and the way you explain each topic! 😊

[celsoteacher]

Hello teacher Gill!You're excellent teacher. I am from Araçuaí in Brazil.I've learned a lot with you. Thank you very much for everything...Kisses my darling Teacher.!God bless you!.👏👏👏

[meryemaissa]

Thank you teacher for this wonderful explanation

[panjik]

i really love when you describe them very well. Its help us to understand more because we know when we must us it.

[magdajaracz]

I love you Gill! I start every Day with You.