écouter

to listen

verb eh-koo-TEH Common

Usage Note

Écouter means to listen actively, set apart from entendre, to hear without trying — a line learners often blur. It takes a direct object with no preposition, so j'écoute la radio needs no 'to', and écoute is the sharp 'listen!' a speaker uses to grab attention.

Examples

"J'écoute de la musique."

Natural Translation

I'm listening to music.

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