ຄຳສັບ “hear” ແລະ “listen” ໃນພາສາອັງກິດນັ້ນມີຄວາມໝາຍທີ່ຄ້າຍຄືກັນ ແຕ່ກໍມີຄວາມແຕກຕ່າງກັນຢ່າງສຳຄັນ. “Hear” ໝາຍເຖິງການໄດ້ຍິນສຽງໂດຍບໍ່ຈຳເປັນຕ້ອງມີຈຸດປະສົງ ຫຼື ຄວາມພະຍາຍາມໃດໆ. ສ່ວນ “listen” ໝາຍເຖິງການໄດ້ຍິນສຽງຢ່າງມີຈຸດປະສົງ ແລະ ມີຄວາມເອົາໃຈໃສ່. ມັນເປັນການໄດ້ຍິນຢ່າງຈິງຈັງ ແລະ ເອົາໃຈໃສ່ຕໍ່ສຽງນັ້ນ.

ເບິ່ງຕົວຢ່າງປະໂຫຍກຕໍ່ໄປນີ້:

• I heard a bird singing. (ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ຍິນນົກຮ້ອງ.) This means you passively perceived the sound of a bird singing; you didn’t necessarily pay attention to it.

• I listened to the bird singing. (ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ຟັງນົກຮ້ອງ.) This means you actively paid attention to the bird's song; you made a conscious effort to hear it.

• I hear a noise outside. (ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ຍິນສຽງດັງຢູ່ຂ້າງນອກ.) This is an involuntary action; the noise attracted your attention.

• I listened carefully to what she said. (ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ຟັງຢ່າງລະມັດລະວັງວ່ານາງເວົ້າຫຍັງ.) This implies active concentration on understanding the speaker.

• The teacher heard the students talking. (ຄູໄດ້ຍິນນັກຮຽນເວົ້າ.) The teacher might not have been paying attention, but the sound reached her ears.

• The students listened attentively to the teacher. (ນັກຮຽນໄດ້ຟັງຄູຢ່າງເອົາໃຈໃສ່.) The students actively focused on the teacher's words.

Happy learning!