听得见 / 听不见
HSK 3- Complements
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
Used to express whether a sound can be heard (听得见) or cannot be heard (听不见).
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
见 here is a resultative complement, indicating whether the action "to listen" (听) achieves its result (i.e., whether the sound actually reaches one's ears). 听得见 means you are able to hear the sound. Conversely, 听不见 means you cannot hear it — perhaps because it is too noisy, too far away, or the sound is too faint.
This should be distinguished from 听不懂 (you hear it but cannot understand the meaning) and 不听 (actively choosing not to listen).
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 你说大声点儿，我听不见。繁: 你說大聲點兒，我聽不見。Nǐ shuō dàshēng diǎnr, wǒ tīng bu jiàn.
You speak a bit louder, I can't hear you.
- 外面太吵了，我听不见老师说话。繁: 外面太吵了，我聽不見老師說話。Wàimiàn tài chǎo le, wǒ tīng bu jiàn lǎoshī shuōhuà.
It's too noisy outside, so I can't hear what the teacher is saying.
- 你听得见我说话吗？繁: 你聽得見我說話嗎？Nǐ tīng de jiàn wǒ shuōhuà ma?
Can you hear me speaking?
- 我坐在后面，但是听得见。繁: 我坐在後面，但是聽得見。Wǒ zuò zài hòumiàn, dànshì tīng de jiàn.
I sit in the back, but I can still hear.
- 他说话太小声了，我们都听不见。繁: 他說話太小聲了，我們都聽不見。Tā shuōhuà tài xiǎoshēng le, wǒmen dōu tīng bu jiàn.
He spoke too quietly, and none of us could hear him.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:老师说得太快了，我听不见。Correct:老师说得太快了，我听不懂。
听不见 means not hearing the sound at all, while 听不懂 means hearing the sound but not understanding the meaning. If someone speaks quickly, you won't understand.
- Wrong:妈妈叫我回家，我听不见。Correct:妈妈叫我回家，我不听。
If the meaning is "deliberately not listening," use `不听`. `听不见` means you genuinely cannot hear the call.