listen
gb/lˈɪsən/ us/lˈɪsən/
A1
English
~ 900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A1
action
1
Pay attention to sound
To use your ears to hear and understand sounds or words.
Usage pattern:
to listen to [something/someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'listen' with 'hear'. 'Listen' means to pay attention on purpose, while 'hear' means the sound reaches your ears without effort.
Synonyms
hear (Refers simply to perceiving sound, without implying active attention.)
|
attend (More formal; means to focus one's mind on what is being said.)
Antonyms
ignore (To deliberately not pay attention to something.)
Collocations
listen carefully
|listen closely
|listen intently
|listen quietly
|listen attentively
Themes
daily life
|communication
|music
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She listened to the radio while cooking dinner.
- Please listen carefully to the instructions before starting the test.
- He listened intently to the speaker's story.
- I like to listen to music when I work.
- They listened quietly as the teacher explained the lesson.
Learner examples
- I listen to music every day.
- Please listen to me.
- Listen to the teacher.
- She listens to the birds in the morning.
Verb
A2
action
2
Pay attention and act on advice
To do what someone advises or asks you to do.
Usage pattern:
to listen to [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners may forget that 'listen' in this sense still requires 'to' before the person or advice.
Synonyms
heed (More formal; means to take notice of and act upon advice or warning.)
Antonyms
disregard (To pay no attention to advice or warnings.)
Collocations
listen to advice
|listen to reason
|listen to your parents
Themes
communication
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- You should listen to your doctor if you want to get better.
- He never listens to my suggestions.
- They listened to the teacher and finished their homework on time.
- If you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened.
Learner examples
- Listen to your parents.
- I listen to my teacher's advice.
- She listens to her friends when they talk.
Grammar
Dictionary form
listen
IPA
GB/lˈɪsən/
US/lˈɪsən/
Syllables & stress
listen (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (listen)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: listen
- 3rd Person Singular: listens
- Present Participle: listening
- Past: listened
Word family
Forms
listens
verb
listening
verb
listened
verb
Core family
listener
noun A2
Advanced or less common
listenable
adjective
listenership
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unlistenable
adjective
Expressions
listen in
1/lˈɪsən ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
Secretly hear a conversation
To hear a conversation without joining it, often secretly.
Examples
- She listened in on their phone call.
- Reporters often try to listen in on private meetings.
listen to reason
1/lˈɪsən tə ɹˈizən/
fixed phrase
Accept sensible advice or logic
To agree with someone's good advice or logical argument.
Examples
- After a long talk, he finally listened to reason and apologized.
- I wish she would listen to reason and stop driving so fast.
listen up
1/lˈɪsən ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
informal
Pay attention right now
Used to tell people to start paying attention immediately.
Examples
- Listen up, everyone! I have an important announcement.
- Okay team, listen up! Here's what we're going to do.
listen with half an ear
1/lˈɪsən wˈɪθ hˈæf ən ˈɪɹ/
idiom
informal
Listen without full attention
To hear someone but not give them your full attention.
Examples
- He listened with half an ear while watching TV.
- I was only listening with half an ear during the meeting.