hören
to hear
To perceive noises, sounds, or voices with the ears.
EXAMPLE
Hörst du das laute Geräusch auch?
Do you hear that loud noise too?
hören
to hear / to listen
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Meanings
hören
to listen to
To listen consciously and attentively to a source of sound, for example music, a lecture, or a person.
EXAMPLE
Am Wochenende höre ich gerne Podcasts.
On the weekend, I like listening to podcasts.
hören auf
to listen to
To follow a person's advice or instructions; to obey.
EXAMPLE
Wenn du auf mich gehört hättest, wäre das nicht passiert.
If you had listened to me, that wouldn't have happened.
hören von
to hear from
To receive information or news about someone or something.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe lange nichts mehr von meinem alten Schulfreund gehört.
I haven't heard from my old school friend in a long time.
hören
to attend
As a student, to regularly attend a lecture at a university.
EXAMPLE
Ich höre dieses Semester eine Vorlesung über Kunstgeschichte.
This semester, I am attending a lecture on art history.
Usage tips
Fixed preposition 'auf'
In the meaning 'gehorchen' (to obey) or 'einen Rat befolgen' (to follow advice), 'hören' (to listen) is always used with the preposition 'auf' and the accusative. The person or advice one follows is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Kinder sollten auf ihre Eltern hören.
Children should listen to their parents.
Fixed preposition 'von'
When you want to express that you receive news about someone or something, you use the preposition 'von' with the dative. This is about receiving information.
EXAMPLE
Hast du schon von den neuen Plänen gehört?
Have you heard about the new plans yet?
Infinitive without 'zu'
Similar to modal verbs, 'hören' (to hear) can be used with a second verb in the infinitive without 'zu'. This construction describes that one perceives an action acoustically.
EXAMPLE
Ich höre die Nachbarn streiten.
I hear the neighbors arguing.
Academic context
In a university context, 'hören' (to attend) has a special meaning. 'Eine Vorlesung hören' means that, as a student, one attends this course or lecture.
EXAMPLE
Welche Vorlesungen hörst du in diesem Semester?
Which lectures are you attending this semester?
Context clue: active vs. passive
'Hören' can be both a passive perception ('Ich höre ein Geräusch' — I hear a noise) and an active, conscious action ('Ich höre gerade Musik' — I am listening to music right now). Whether the listening happens intentionally or not is usually clear from context.
EXAMPLE
Plötzlich hörte ich einen lauten Knall vor dem Haus.
Suddenly, I heard a loud bang in front of the house.
Compare with
hören vs verstehen
to understand
When talking about spoken language, hören initially concerns perceiving a voice or sound. Verstehen here means clearly recognizing the spoken words by ear. So you can hear someone without understanding every word.
hören
Trotz des Lärms höre ich, dass Anna etwas fragt.
Despite the noise, I can hear that Anna is asking something.
verstehen
Trotz des Lärms verstehe ich Annas ganze Frage.
Despite the noise, I understand Anna’s entire question.
In real life
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