to listen to / to sound
Loading your saved state.
to listen to
To listen attentively to someone or something, often in order to form an opinion or show understanding.
Ich musste mir seine ganze lange Geschichte über den Urlaub anhören.
I had to listen to his whole long story about the vacation.
to sound
To sound a certain way; to make a particular acoustic impression.
Deine Idee hört sich sehr gut an, das sollten wir versuchen.
Your idea sounds very good; we should try that.
to hear someone
In a formal or legal context, to give a person the opportunity to present their point of view or arguments.
Bevor der Richter eine Entscheidung trifft, muss er beide Zeugen anhören.
Before the judge makes a decision, he must hear both witnesses.
'Anhören' (to listen to / to hear) is a separable verb. The prefix 'an' comes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses or in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb is not separated.
Hör dir dieses Lied an!
Listen to this song!
The meaning of 'anhören' (to listen to / to hear) changes depending on whether it is used reflexively or not. 'Sich etwas anhören' means to listen to something, while 'jemanden anhören' means to give someone a hearing.
Ich höre mir gerne Podcasts an.
I like listening to podcasts.
When you listen to something using 'sich etwas anhören', the person who is listening is in the dative (as a reflexive pronoun), and the thing being listened to is in the accusative. The pattern is: sich (dative) etwas (accusative) anhören.
Kannst du dir bitte kurz mein Problem anhören?
Can you please listen to my problem briefly?
In the meaning of 'klingen' (to sound), 'sich anhören' (to sound) is often used with an adjective or a comparison with 'wie' (like/as). The subject is the thing that produces the sound.
Das hört sich kompliziert an.
That sounds complicated.
The non-reflexive form 'jemanden anhören' (to hear someone) is mainly used in formal, official, or legal contexts. It means to officially give someone the opportunity to speak.
Das Gericht muss vor dem Urteil den Angeklagten anhören.
The court must hear the defendant before the verdict.
to hear / to listen
Hören and sich anhören can both refer to a speech or a recording. Sich anhören places more emphasis on listening to this particular content deliberately and attentively, while hören can also describe simply perceiving or listening in a neutral way. Use sich anhören when consciously engaging with it is important.
Ich hörte mir die Rede gestern im Radio aufmerksam an.
I listened attentively to the speech on the radio yesterday.
Ich hörte die Rede gestern im Radio.
I heard the speech on the radio yesterday.
