gehoord

Gehoord is the past participle of the Dutch verb horen, which means to hear. The form is used to express that someone has perceived a sound, received information by hearing, or that something has been heard. In everyday language it appears most often in perfect tense constructions with the auxiliary hebben, as in Ik heb het gehoord (I have heard it).

In terms of usage, horen refers to perception of sound, while luisteren denotes the act of listening with intention. Gehoord is therefore typically linked to the outcome of perceiving rather than the deliberate action of listening. The past participle can also function as a verbal adjective, describing something that has been heard, for example gehoorde geluiden (sounds that were heard) or gehoorde klachten (reported complaints).

Grammatical notes: Dutch past participles of regular -en verbs are generally formed with ge- and the suffix -d or -t, depending on the verb’s stem. Horen is a regular weak verb in this respect, yielding gehoord as the past participle. The form is used with different auxiliaries to create various tenses, and can appear in passive constructions with worden, though in practice it is most common in active contexts with hebben.

Etymology: horen derives from the Dutch stem related to hearing and perception, with ge- prefixing the participle to indicate a completed action or a participial adjective. It shares roots with cognate words in other Germanic languages.

See also: horen, luisteren, gehoor (the sense of hearing), gehoorzaamheid (obedience).