hoort

Hoort is the third-person singular present tense form of the Dutch verb horen, meaning to hear or to listen. It is used with a he or she subject (hij hoort, zij hoort) and can refer to perceiving sound in real time or to listening attentively. In addition to its literal sense, hoot appears in idiomatic expressions such as dat hoort erbij (that belongs with it) and dat hoort zo (that is how it should be).

Conjugation and related forms: present tense: ik hoor, jij hoort, hij/zij/het hoort, wij horen, jullie horen, zij horen. Past tense: ik hoorde, jij hoorde, hij hoorde, wij hoorden, jullie hoorden, zij hoorden. Perfect tense: ik heb gehoord (the past participle is gehoord, formed with hebben). The verb horen is regular in its present forms but uses a stem change for some person forms and the third-person singular adds a -t.

Etymology and cognates: horen derives from Old Dutch horen and is cognate with German hören and English hear. The core meaning remains perceptual—sound perception and listening—but Dutch also uses hoeren in fixed phrases where the sense shifts to belonging or properness (for example, dat hoort erbij).

Usage notes: apart from literal hearing, hoedanities such as listening to someone speak or understanding information can be conveyed with horen in various tenses. The imperative form for telling someone to listen is Hoor! (listen). Distinctions between auditory perception and idiomatic uses depend on context.

See also: horen, luisteren.