listen to

If you listen to a sound or listen to a person who is talking, you pay attention to the sound or to what the person is saying.

I do my ironing while listening to the radio.

Listen carefully to what he says.

They wouldn't listen to me.

Be Careful!
Listen is not a transitive verb. Don't say that someone 'listens a sound' or 'listens a person'.

If you have been to a musical performance, you don't usually say that you 'listened to' the music or 'listened to' the performer. You say that you heard them.

That was the first time I ever heard Jimi Hendrix.

See hear

Be Careful!
Don't confuse listen to and hear. If you hear something, you become aware of it without trying. If you listen to something, you deliberately pay attention to it. For example, you would say 'Suddenly I heard a noise', not 'Suddenly I listened to a noise'.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

Translations

يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَى

poslouchat

lytte til

kuunnella

slušati