to listen
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to listen
To listen attentively and consciously in order to understand what someone is saying or what kind of sound can be heard.
Bitte hör mir genau zu, das ist wirklich wichtig.
Please listen to me carefully, this is really important.
'Zuhören' (to listen) is a separable verb. In a main clause, the prefix 'zu' goes at the end. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Die Kinder hören der Geschichte aufmerksam zu.
The children listen attentively to the story.
The verb 'zuhören' (to listen) is always used with the dative. You listen to a person or a thing.
Ich höre dir die ganze Zeit zu.
I am listening to you the whole time.
The verb is made up of 'zu' and 'hören' (to hear). The prefix 'zu-' here strengthens the idea of directed, concentrated listening to a person or a sound.
Wenn man einem Vogelkonzert zuhört, kann man entspannen.
When you listen to a chorus of birds, you can relax.
to hear / to listen
Hören and zuhören can both express perceiving speech or sounds. Zuhören, however, emphasizes active, directed attention toward a source, while hören can also mean merely or neutrally perceiving something. Use zuhören when you consciously focus on a person who is speaking or on a sound.
Ich hörte der Trainerin im Nebenraum aufmerksam zu.
I listened attentively to the coach in the next room.
Ich hörte die Trainerin aus dem Nebenraum sprechen.
I heard the coach speaking from the next room.
