Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 4: 16/18

聞(き)こえるTo be audible, To sound (like), (Can) hear, To be heard

聞こえる was originally a conjugation of 聞く、but nowadays it is treated as a standalone intransitive verb

Structure

Noun + が + 聞(き)こえる
［い］Adjective［く］+ 聞(き)こえる
［な］Adjective + に + 聞(き)こえる
Noun + に + 聞(き)こえる

Details

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About 聞こえる

聞(き)こえる is a verb that is often used to describe things that can be heard, or the way in which something is heard. Because of this, the most common translations of this verb are 'to be audible', or 'to sound like (A)'. 聞(き)こえる is an intransitive verb, and literally means 'to give off sound'.

When using 聞(き)こえる, (A) will always be followed by が. (A) is considered to be the 'source' of the sound (a noun). However, the 'way that something sounds' will be marked adverbially. This means that an い-Adjective will be changed to its く form, and な-Adjectives/nouns will be followed by に.

Fun Fact

The primary difference between 聞(き)こえる, and 聞(き)ける (the potential form of 聞(き)く), is that 聞(き)こえる is used to identify things that do not require the active concentration of the listener to be heard. In other words, ambient noise. However, 聞(き)ける is used when the speaker is trying to concentrate on some specific sound, and refers to their 'ability' to hear it.

  • 静(しず)かな部屋(へや)にいると聞(き)こえるよ。
    You can hear it if you are in a quiet room. (Without effort)
  • 静(しず)かな部屋(へや)にいると聞(き)けるよ。
    If you are in a quiet room, you can hear it. (If you focus and try to hear the sound)

Examples

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    「今(いま)のノック聞(き)こえた？」
    「ううん、聞(き)こえなかったよ。空耳(そらみみ)じゃない？」

    'Did you hear a knock just now?'
    'Nope, I didn't hear it. Aren't you hearing things?'

    「西山(にしやま)さんは生(う)まれつき耳(みみ)が聞(き)こえないんです。」

    'Nishiyama has been deaf since birth.'

    隣(となり)のせきくんはうるさすぎるわよ。彼(かれ)が音楽(おんがく)を聴(き)くときいつもあたしのアパートに聞(き)こえるわ！

    My neighbor Seki is too loud! Whenever he listens to music, I can hear it in my flat!

    「教師(きょうし)の声(こえ)が小(ちい)さすぎるから何(なに)も聞(き)こえないんだよ。」

    'The teacher is too quiet, so I cannot hear anything.'

    「外(そと)がうるさいからテレビの音(おと)がよく聞(き)こえない。」

    'Since it is loud outside, I cannot hear the TV very well.'

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      聞こえる – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (8 in total)

      • rexd

        rexd

        The grammar page says “Noun + が + 聞こえる”, but “今のノック____た？” dinged me for “が 聞こえ”. It just wanted “今のノック聞きこえた” Can someone help me wrap my brain around this one? I assumed ノック is a noun.

      • okayfrog

        okayfrog

        I’m wondering about this as well. Doesn’t make any sense.

      • Fuga

        Fuga

        Hey @rexd !

        ノック is a noun, so we have added がきこえた as an accepted answer.

        Although が should be used there, when 聞こえた is simply used as ‘hear’ in a casual conversation, it can be omitted.

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