écouter

Écouter is a French verb meaning to listen with attention to sounds, voices, or other audible material. It denotes an intention to perceive and understand rather than a passive act of hearing. In usage, écouter often contrasts with entendre, which can simply mean to hear. The verb is transitive and can take a direct object (écouter qc) or a person (écouter qn), and it also appears in expressions such as écouter de la musique or écouter quelqu’un parler.

Étymologie and form: Écouter comes from Old French escouter, itself derived from Latin auscultare, meaning to listen attentively or to listen in a careful way. It is a regular -er verb, following the standard conjugation patterns of its group.

Constructions and usage: Common constructions include écouter qc, as in écouter la radio or écouter un discours, and écouter qn, as in écouter quelqu’un parler. It is also used with subordinate content like écouter ce que dit qn or écouter ce qu’il raconte. The phrase écouter de la musique means to listen to music. Expressions such as être à l’écoute de someone or écouter attentivement highlight the emphasis on attentiveness and responsiveness.

Conjugation (present to indicative mood and common tenses): In the present tense, j’écoute, tu écoutes, il écoute, nous écoutons, vous écoutez, ils écoutent. The passé composé uses avoir écouté (j’ai écouté). Imperfect: j’écoutais, tu écoutais, il écoutait, nous écoutions, vous écoutiez, ils écoutaient. Future: j’écouterai, tu écouteras, il écoutera, nous écouterons, vous écouterez, ils écouteront. Subjunctive: que j’écoute, que tu écoutes, qu’il écoute, que nous écoutions, que vous écoutiez, qu’ils écoutent. The imperative is écoute, écoutons, écoutez.

Notes: Écouter is central to many French expressions about attention and listening skills, including phrases like à l’écoute de quelqu’un, or écouter avec attention in educational and professional contexts.