teng1聽听

Jyutpingteng1

Yaletēng

詞綴Very common

Definition

To listen or hear.

ngo5我zung1鍾ji3意ting1聽jam1音ngok6樂。

ngo5我zung1钟ji3意ting1听jam1音ngok6乐。

I like listening to music.

colloquialdaily actionsbody

How it's used

Distinguish between the act of listening and the ability to hear by using 聽到 for the latter. When you want to express that someone is obedient or follows instructions, use 聽話 instead. It is common to drop the object when the context is clear, such as simply saying 聽緊 which means listening right now.

Examples

nei5你teng1聽m4唔teng1聽dou3到ngo5我gong2講je5嘢aa4呀？

Can you hear what I am saying?

ngo5我hou2好zung1鍾ji3意teng1聽keoi5佢coeng3唱go1歌。

I really like listening to him sing.

Common phrases

teng1聽go1歌

to listen to music

teng1聽din6電waa2話

to answer the phone

teng1聽gong2講

to hear that / it is said that

Common mistake

Learners often confuse 聽 with 睇, which means to look or watch. While 聽 is for auditory input, 睇 is used for visual input like reading or watching television.