listen
See also: Listen
listen - English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- enPR: lĭs'ən, lĭs'n, IPA: /ˈlɪs.ən/, [ˈlɪs.n̩]
- Hyphenation: lis‧ten
Verb
listen (third-person singular simple present listens, present participle listening, simple past and past participle listened)
- (intransitive) To pay attention to a sound or speech.
- Please listen carefully as I explain. I like to listen to music.
- (intransitive) To expect or wait for a sound, such as a signal.
- You should listen for the starting gun.
- (intransitive) To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.
- Listen, the only reason I yelled at you was because I was upset, OK? Good children listen to their parents.
- (transitive, archaic) To hear (something or someone), to pay attention to.
Usage notes
In English, listen and hear are two primary verbs relating to audial perception. To hear represents automatic, unconscious, or passive perception of sound, while listen generally represents intentional, conscious, or purposeful use of the sense of hearing. The difference is expressed in the following quotation:
- As the silence took hold in the darkness, Sam realized that she had been hearing, though not listening to, various low-level sounds—the hum of air conditioning and life support, the pulse of some faraway oxygen pump, the faint buzz of the electrical and lighting systems. —Justin Richards (1999) Demontage, chapter 5, page 92.
A similar distinction exists between see and watch in English.
Quotations
- For quotations using this term, see listen.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
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Noun
listen (plural listens)
- An instance of listening.
- Synonym: (of recorded audio) play
- Give the motor a listen and tell me if it sounds off.
Derived terms
Anagrams
listen - Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA: [ˈlɪstɛn]
Noun
listen m inan
Declension
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
listen - Danish
Noun
listen c
listen - Dutch
Noun
listen
- Plural form of list
Anagrams
listen - German
Pronunciation
- IPA: [ˈlɪstn̩]
- Hyphenation: lis‧ten
- Homophone: Listen
Verb
listen (weak, third-person singular present listet, past tense listete, past participle gelistet, auxiliary haben)
Conjugation
| infinitive | listen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | listend | ||||
| past participle | gelistet | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich liste | wir listen | i | ich liste | wir listen |
| du listest | ihr listet | du listest | ihr listet | ||
| er listet | sie listen | er liste | sie listen | ||
| preterite | ich listete | wir listeten | ii | ich listete1 | wir listeten1 |
| du listetest | ihr listetet | du listetest1 | ihr listetet1 | ||
| er listete | sie listeten | er listete1 | sie listeten1 | ||
| imperative | list (du) liste (du) | listet (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Derived terms
Related terms
- Liste f
listen - Norwegian Bokmål
Alternative forms
Noun
listen m or f
listen - Spanish
Verb
listen
- inflection of listar:
- third-person plural present subjunctive
- third-person plural imperative
listen - Swedish
Noun
listen
- definite singular of list.