Hear means that a sound reaches you by itself, without any effort; listen means that you pay attention to a sound or a person on purpose. You can listen carefully and still not hear, if someone speaks too quietly.
hear or listen — can you pick the right one?
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hear + noun; hear about + news; hear from + person; listen to + person/music; listen carefully
- I could hear the neighbours arguing through the wall last night.
- Please listen to the instructions carefully before you start the test.
- I was listening to the radio when I heard a knock at the door.
What changed
First versionSorry, I didn't listen what you said. Could you repeat that?
RevisionSorry, I didn't hear what you said. Could you repeat that?
“Sorry, I didn't catch that” means the sound never reached you, and that is hear. Listen describes the effort of paying attention, and it needs to before whatever you listen to. I didn't listen to what you said would sound like an admission: I wasn't paying attention to you.
Only listen takes to: listen to music, listen to your teacher. Hear needs no preposition: I heard a new song on the radio. Hear from means to get news from someone: I haven't heard from Anna since May.
Your turn
The music at the party was so loud that I couldn't ___ my phone ringing.
Show the answer
hear — The loud music stopped the ringing from reaching your ears, so you need hear. Listen to my phone ringing would mean you were deliberately paying attention to the ringing, which makes no sense in this situation.
Think of a time you were listening to a lecture, a podcast or an announcement and missed something. Use listen to and hear in one sentence and say exactly what you didn't hear.
I was listening to the announcement at the station, but I didn't hear which platform my train was leaving from.
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