Regular verb
The verb to listen
listen → listened → listened
A2Meaning: to pay attention to a sound or to someone speaking · Type: regular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
listen / listens - Past Simple:
listened - Past participle:
listened - -ing form:
listening
Conjugation of the verb to listen
Present Simple
| I | listen |
| You | listen |
| He / She / It | listens |
| We | listen |
| You (pl.) | listen |
| They | listen |
Past Simple
| I | listened |
| You | listened |
| He / She / It | listened |
| We | listened |
| You (pl.) | listened |
| They | listened |
All the forms of the verb to listen
Present Simple
Full pagelisten / listens
“I listen to music.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are listening
“I am listening to music right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagelistened
“I listened to the podcast.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were listening
“I was listening to music when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has listened
“I have already listened to music.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad listened
“She had already listened to music when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill listen
“I will listen to music tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to listen
“I'm going to listen to music this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould listen
“I would listen to music if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to listen
1. Listening to music
- I listen to music every day.
2. Listening to someone
- Listen to me!
3. Listen up!
Listen up! is an informal way to say listen carefully.
- Listen up everyone!
A common mistake
1. I listen music ❌
Before an object, listen needs to: I listen to music, Listen to me! Without an object, there is no to: Listen!
Going further
Conjugating to listen is a key skill in the English contest
Every year, the Big Challenge tests the key English verbs. Register your students so they can check their level in a real contest.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Practise on PLAYYou can conjugate to listen. Now say it out loud.
This page explained everything. On PLAY, you practise this verb out loud in 3 minutes, until it comes naturally.
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For teachersReady-made activities to practise to listen in class
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Related pages: listen
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce listen?+
Listen is said /ˈlɪsn/: the t is silent. The same happens in castle and whistle. A common mistake is to pronounce the t.
What is the difference between listen and hear?+
Listen means you pay attention on purpose. Hear means a sound comes to your ears, even if you don't try. I listen to music (I choose to). I can hear the music (it reaches my ears). Listen is active; hear is passive.
Why do you say listen to?+
Without an object, listen stands alone: Listen! With an object, you need to: listen to me, listen to music. The preposition to is necessary.
What does listen up mean?+
Listen up! means listen carefully! It is an informal way to ask for attention, often at the start of an important announcement to a group: Listen up, everyone!
What is active listening?+
Active listening is a communication skill: you show that you really listen. You repeat the idea in your own words, you ask questions and you show that you understand. Managers, teachers and therapists often learn it.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/listen
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.