hear
hɪər
Sound Arrives: Why HEAR Is Not Something You Do
The picture You are standing still and a sound flows into your ear on its own. You did not go and fetch it; it reached you. HEAR is sound arriving at your ear by itself; LISTEN is turning your ear toward the sound.
Where the picture shows up in hear
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reaches your ear by itself
I hear something in the hallway.
aɪ hɪər ˈsʌmθɪŋ ɪn ðə ˈhɔːlweɪ
There is some noise out in the hallway.
Sound pushing its way into a motionless ear.
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news reaches you
I heard you're moving to Busan.
aɪ hɜːrd jʊr ˈmuːvɪŋ tuː puːˈsɑːn
Someone told me you were moving to Busan.
Words leaving one mouth, crossing people, landing in your ear.
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word arrives from someone
Have you heard from her lately?
hæv juː hɜːrd frəm hɜːr ˈleɪtli
Has she been in touch with you recently?
A letter from far away arriving in your hand.
hear from = get word from someone.
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fails to reach you
Sorry, I can't hear you. Could you speak up?
ˈsɒri aɪ kɑːnt hɪər juː kʊd juː spiːk ʌp
Sorry, you're breaking up. Could you speak louder?
A voice scattering on the way and never arriving.
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let it all in
Please hear me out before you decide.
pliːz hɪər miː aʊt bɪˈfɔːr juː dɪˈsaɪd
Let me finish before you make up your mind.
An ear held open until the last word is in.
hear me out = don't cut me off.
All of it in one picture
HEAR is an ear left open. When a noise reaches it, that is hearing; when news reaches it, that is being told; when a person reaches you, that is news from them; when a voice fails to reach it, that is not being able to hear. Ask someone to let your words reach all the way in, and you get "hear me out." So every use of hear carries the same feeling: it got to me before I went to get it.