"I'm hearing you" a common error made by millions of people using mobile phones everyday -Lasisi

Akeem Lasisi

The statement, ‘I am hearing you’, is a very common one. There is hardly any day it is not uttered by thousands, if not millions of people, who use the telephone. As a result, it qualifies to be one of the most widespread grammatical blunders because there is a problem with the verb, ‘hearing’, as used in the clause. Are you hearing me well? You see, I have also committed the error now! That is how tempting the infraction can be.

Often, the caller says, ‘Are you hearing me?’ And the receiver answers, ‘Yes, I am hearing you.’ But the negative version is also common because network can be as bad as electricity supply in our own part of the world:

Caller: Are you hearing me?

Receiver: I am not hearing you.

Caller: Okay, let me go outside to see if the network is better there… Are you hearing me now?

Receiver: No, I’m not hearing you still. Maybe you have to call back.

Note that four of the sentences in the above dialogue have the ‘hearing’ problem. And I remember that, in this class, we once discussed the issue involved in the construction. But because it lingers, we have to treat it again. The verb, ‘hear’, rejects the ing form in this context because it falls within the class called stative verbs. These are, often, verbs of perception or those that express opinions. One peculiarity about them is that they are not used to express a temporary action as the present participle/continuous does. They are not used in the progressive sense.

I hope you remember that the present continuous tense is one that expresses an ongoing action that is due to end soon. That is how it is different from a present tense that expresses an action that is current and will/can still continue in the future:

The bus is waiting outside.

The President is addressing the nation.

The points expressed in both sentences, which exemplify the present continuous, are very clear. One other very important point about them is that the actions are not going to last forever. They are temporary. The bus will soon leave; even if the President’s speech lasts 10, 20 or 30 minutes, it will end, and he will begin to do something else, whether in office or outside it. That is the character of the present continuous sense.

It can then be argued that we ought to be right when we say ‘I am hearing you’ because the action is ongoing and is also a temporary one. After all, as soon as you stop speaking at the other end of the phone, I will not hear you again. A beautiful argument. However, note that the same English language that accepts it in many other situations rejects it in this sense. It insists that stative verbs are not used in the temporary continuous sense and ‘hear’ is one of them. The option we have is that we use the present tense form with the modal ‘can’ (can hear) to express the action:

Are you hearing me? (Wrong)

Yes, I am hearing you. (Wrong)

Can you hear me? (Correct)

Yes, I can hear you. (Correct)

Are you hearing me clearly? (Wrong)

I am hearing you clearly. (Wrong)

Can you hear me clearly? (Correct)

Yes, I can hear you clearly. (Correct)

There are about five categories of stative verbs, with ‘hear’ falling among the ones that describe senses. Others in this category include see, taste, smell and feel. You must give all of them the treatment you give ‘hear’:

Are you seeing the board? (Wrong)

Yes, I am seeing the board. (Wrong)

Can you see the board? (Correct)

Yes, I can see the board. (Correct)

The food is tasting well. (Wrong)

The food tastes well. (Correct)

The perfume is smelling well. (Wrong)

The perfume smells well. (Correct)

This is, however, not to say that hearing, seeing, smelling etc. do not exist in English. They do but in different contexts with different meanings – and at times as other parts of speech:

Are you hearing from your sister? (Correct)

Yes, I am hearing from her. (Correct)

Of course, you should know that the meaning of ‘hearing’ here is different from what obtains when you listen to someone talking.

He sent me a sweet-smelling flower. (Correct)

Seeing is believing. (Correct)

Stative verbs expressing thinking or opinions

Examples of stative verbs expressing thinking or opinions areknow, agree, recognise, believe, doubt, guess, imagine, mean, remember and think. Like ‘hear’, they also do not accept the present participle usage:

Are you agreeing with him on what he said? (Wrong)

Do you agree with him on what he said? (Correct)

I am knowing that he is right. (Wrong)

I know that he is right. (Correct)

Are you believing him? (Wrong)

Do you believe him? (Correct)

I am imagining what the woman is going through now. (Wrong)

I can imagine what the man is going through now. (Correct)

I am doubting if this government will fulfil its promises. (Wrong)

I doubt if this government will fulfil its promises. (Correct)

I am remembering how I felt the first day I got to Lagos. (Wrong)

I remember how I felt the first day I got to Lagos. (Correct)

Stative verbs connected with feelings and emotions

These include like, love, dislike, prefer, wish, hate and admire.

I am liking this one. (Wrong)

I like this one. (Correct)

I am loving you very much. (Wrong)

I love you very much. (Correct)

I am preferring to go tomorrow. (Wrong)

I prefer to go tomorrow. (Correct)

I am wishing you a Happy Easter. (Wrong)

I wish you a Happy Easter. (Correct)

I am hating visiting police stations. (Wrong)

I hate visiting police stations. (Correct)

Source: Punch