Ive already listened to it

Hello everyone,

1. The sentences "I listen to music" or "I listen to country music" are common idiomatic.

2. "Hear" isn't the best verb in the sentences above.

3. My question: Why is the sentence "this is the best song I've ever heard" more common/natural than "this is the best song I've ever listened to?''

Thank you in advance!

  • "To hear" is a comprehensive term that covers 100% of the auditory input to your brain. You can hear a pin drop, and you can hear the sound of distant thunder. If you "listen to" something, then you are hearing it with a degree of intention and sustained concentration. I hear country music when my next door neighbour plays it. I listen to music by Led Zeppelin on my own stereo and I play it loud enough so that I can't hear music coming from next door.

    I suggest that we have to say "the best song I've ever heard", rather than "the best song I've ever listened to", in order to include every song that you have ever experienced, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. I have listened to the Doors' song "LA Woman" hundreds of times. I think it's the best song I have ever heard.

    Last edited: Jun 12, 2012

    If you "listen to" something, then you are hearing it with a degree of intention and sustained concentration.

    My daughter used earphones to listen to songs. After 20 minutes, I asked her: "How many songs have you listened to?" I think I should use "listen" here, am I right?

    Thank you.

    Yes, in this case listen to is the correct option because she stopped and listened to the songs voluntarily.

    I suggest that we have to say "the best song I've ever heard", rather than "the best song I've ever listened to", in order to include every song that you have ever experienced, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.


    I agree with DocPenfro's post from 2012. I don't imagine you are seriously implying that, when I say "the best song I ever heard", I am mentally sorting the songs known to me into two categories: those I heard by chance and those I sat down to listen to deliberately.

    I agree with DocPenfro's post from 2012. I don't imagine you are seriously implying that, when I say "the best song I ever heard", I am mentally sorting the songs known to me into two categories: those I heard by chance and those I sat down to listen to deliberately.

    I do not see that as his point at all. On the other hand, if one says "the best song I ever listened to", then one would be sorting them that way, and making the distinction -- which is clearly absurd.

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        vb  , has, having, had  mainly tr  

    1  to be in material possession of; own  
    he has two cars    

    2  to possess as a characteristic quality or attribute  
    he has dark hair    

    3  to receive, take, or obtain  
    she had a present from him, have a look    

    4  to hold or entertain in the mind  
    to have an idea    

    5  to possess a knowledge or understanding of  
    I have no German    

    6  to experience or undergo  
    to have a shock    

    7  to be infected with or suffer from  
    to have a cold    

    8  to gain control of or advantage over  
    you have me on that point    

    9  usually passive  
    Slang  to cheat or outwit  
    he was had by that dishonest salesman    

    10  foll by: on  to exhibit [mercy, compassion, etc., towards]  
    have mercy on us, Lord    

    11  to engage or take part in  
    to have a conversation    

    12  to arrange, carry out, or hold  
    to have a party    

    13  to cause, compel, or require to [be, do, or be done]  
    have my shoes mended    

    14  takes an infinitive with: to  used as an auxiliary to express compulsion or necessity  
    I had to run quickly to escape him    

    15  to eat, drink, or partake of  
    to have a good meal    

    16  Taboo slang  to have sexual intercourse with  
    he had her on the sofa    

    17  used with a negative  to tolerate or allow  
    I won't have all this noise    

    18  to declare, state, or assert  
    rumour has it that they will marry    

    19  to put or place  
    I'll have the sofa in this room    

    20  to receive as a guest  
    to have three people to stay    

    21  to beget or bear [offspring]  
    she had three children    

    22  takes a past participle  used as an auxiliary to form compound tenses expressing completed action  
    I have gone, I shall have gone, I would have gone, I had gone    

    23  had better or best  ought to: used to express compulsion, obligation, etc.  
    you had better go    

    24  had rather or sooner  to consider or find preferable that  
    I had rather you left at once    

    25  have done    See      done      3  

    26  have had it  
    Informal  

    a  to be exhausted, defeated, or killed  

    b  to have lost one's last chance  

    c  to become unfashionable  

    27  have it  to win a victory  

    28  have it away [or off]  
    Taboo    [Brit]  
    slang  to have sexual intercourse  

    29  have it coming  
    Informal  to be about to receive or to merit punishment or retribution  

    30  have it in for  
    Informal  to wish or intend harm towards  

    31  have it so good  to have so many benefits, esp. material benefits  

    a  to have dealings or associate with  
    I have nothing to do with her    

    b  to be of relevance to  
    this has nothing to do with you    

    33  I have it  
    Informal  I know the answer  

    34  let [someone] have it  
    Slang  to launch or deliver an attack on, esp. to discharge a firearm at [someone]  

    35  not having any  foll by: of  
    Informal  refusing to take part or be involved [in]  
        n  

    36  usually pl  a person or group of people in possession of wealth, security, etc.  
    the haves and the have-nots      See also      have at      have in      have on      have out      have up  
        [Old English habban; related to Old Norse hafa, Old Saxon hebbian, Old High German haben, Latin habere]  

    have-a-go  
        adj  
    Informal  [of people attempting arduous or dangerous tasks] brave or spirited  
    a have-a-go pensioner    

    have at  
        vb  intr, prep  
    Archaic  to make an opening attack on, esp. in fencing  

    1  to ask [a person] to give a service  
    we must have the electrician in to mend the fire    

    2  to invite to one's home  

    have-not  
        n  usually pl  a person or group of people in possession of relatively little material wealth  

    2  usually adv  to have [a meeting or engagement] arranged as a commitment  
    what does your boss have on this afternoon?    

    3  adv  
    Informal  to trick or tease [a person]  

    4  prep  to have available [information or evidence, esp. when incriminating] about [a person]  
    the police had nothing on him, so they let him go    

    1  to settle [a matter] or come to [a final decision], esp. by fighting or by frank discussion [often in the phrase have it out]  

    2  to have extracted or removed  
    I had a tooth out    

    have up  
        vb  tr, adv; usually passive  to cause to appear for trial  
    he was had up for breaking and entering    


    • corresponding  adj. caused by or connected with something you have already mentioned
    • it has a ring to it  exp. it sounds interesting or attractive
    • frame liner  n. A moulding commonly used in framing oil paintings. The liner is fixed inside the frame and appears between the image and the outer frame. Generally made out of wood or some other hard material, the liner may have fabric glued down to it. Liners are to canvases what a mat/mount is to a print on paper

      Polystyrene or wood liner. Fabric-covered liner. Linen liner. Gold liner.

    • have a ball  exp. have a great time; enjoy oneself
    • have a bumpy ride  v. have a ​difficult ​time
    • have written a program  exp. have written a computer program
    • have a butcher's at sth  v. have a look at sth

      Comes from cockney rhyming slang for "butcher's hook" = "look" Ex.: A: "What are you looking at?" B: "I'm just having a butcher's at this butcher's hook!"

    • it is what it is  exp. means "that's just the way it is"

      c'est comme ça, point barre

    • have itchy feet  v. when one really wants to travel

      ex.: I've got itchy feet = I'd like to travel

    • it hit me  exp. it occurred to me, I suddenly thought of it, I had an idea all of a sudden

      E.g: I wondered all day long how to solve this problem and it suddenly hit me...I had to talk to Marry.

    • green IT  n. new trend in computing to take into account the environmental aspect when designing IT systems.
    • up for it  exp. "to be up for it" means to be willing to participate

      she's really up for it: elle est partante

    • have money to burn  v. used for saying that you think someone is spending too much money on things they do not need
    • it's got bits in it  n. means a liquid is not clear: this tea's got bits in it, I don't like yogurt with bits in it

      assez proche de l'idée de 'il y a à boire et à manger'

    • have a pop at someone  exp. yell at someone; attack someone verbally or physically

     

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