ακούω
akoúo[aˈkuo]
To listen in Greek is ακούω (akoúo).
The verb is used to express the act of paying attention to a sound. In Greek, the single verb ακούω covers both the sense of 'to listen' (active attention) and 'to hear' (passive perception), whereas English uses two different words for these concepts.
Meaning: to pay attention to a sound (verb)
Which one should you use?
While ακούω is the base form meaning 'I hear' or 'I listen', it is used to cover both active and passive listening/hearing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ακούω is the first-person singular present indicative, meaning 'I hear' or 'I listen'. The third-person singular present indicative form is ακούει, meaning 'he/she/it hears/listens'.
How do you pronounce it?
akoúo
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid adding a preposition after the verb. English speakers often try to say 'listen to' something, but in Greek, the object follows the verb directly without a preposition.
Did you know?
- If you want to say you are 'listening' to a person's advice in Greek, you might use ακούω to mean 'I obey' or 'I follow' their instructions.
- The word ακούω shares a distant ancestral root with the English word 'acoustics', which is the study of sound.
- In ancient Greek, the verb ακούω was also used to mean 'to hear a rumor' or 'to be informed' of something.
Examples in context
- Ως χόμπι ακούω μουσική.As a hobby I listen to music.This sentence is useful for describing a hobby using ακούω.Tatoeba #2365806 by mululatv, translation #9181500 by Nylez
- Τέτοια μουσική μου αρέσει να ακούω.This is the kind of music I like to listen to.This sentence shows how to express a preference for a specific type of music using ακούω.Tatoeba #7781655 by eypros, translation #7781461 by CK
- Μ' αρέσει να ακούω τις ιστορίες του Τομ.I like to listen to Tom's stories.This sentence demonstrates how to express liking to listen to someone's stories using ακούω.Tatoeba #5511839 by Zeus, translation #4133540 by CK
- Ακούστε τι έχει να πει ο διευθυντής κατά τη διάρκεια της συνάντησης.Listen to what the manager has to say during the meeting.
- Άκου προσεκτικά τις οδηγίες για το παιχνίδι.Listen carefully to the instructions for the game.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Dimitris and Maria are in a park.
- Δημήτρης DimitrisΜαρία, ακούω έναν περίεργο ήχο.Maria, akouo enan periergo icho.Maria, I hear a strange sound.
- Μαρία MariaΔεν ακούω τίποτα, Δημήτρη.Den akouo tipota, Dimitri.I don't hear anything, Dimitris.
- Δημήτρης DimitrisΤώρα ακούω ένα πουλί να τραγουδά.Tora akouo ena pouli na traguda.Now I hear a bird singing.
- Μαρία MariaΝαι, τώρα το ακούω κι εγώ!Ne, tora to akouo ki ego!Yes, now I hear it too!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “listen” translations and entries ακούω, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ακούω, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
