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Verb + preposition

hear of, hear from, and hear about

These three patterns have different meanings connected with knowledge, communication, and information.

Quick answer

Common uses of hear

Hear of means know that someone or something exists. Hear from means receive communication from someone. Hear about means receive information about a topic or event.

Have you heard of that writer?
I heard from my cousin yesterday
Did you hear about the storm?

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
hear of + person/thing

Know about existence

Often used in questions and negatives.

She had never heard of the company
2
hear from + person

Receive communication

From identifies the sender.

We finally heard from the airline
3
hear about + event/topic

Receive news or information

About introduces the subject of the information.

Everyone heard about the accident quickly

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
hear of
I've heard of that musician.
know that someone or something exists
hear from
She heard from her lawyer today.
receive a message or update
hear about
Did you hear about the merger?
learn news or details
hear from
We hope to hear from you soon.
receive contact from someone

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using hear of for communication

Hear of is about awareness, not direct contact.

✕ I heard of my brother yesterday. ✓ I heard from my brother yesterday.

Using hear from for news topics

Use hear about for events or stories.

✕ Did you hear from the election results? ✓ Did you hear about the election results?

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Have you ever heard ___ this podcast?
2. I was happy to hear ___ my old teacher.
3. Everyone heard ___ the power outage.

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Frequently asked questions

Can hear about and hear of overlap?

Sometimes. Hear about often suggests more details, while hear of may only mean basic awareness.

Do we say hear from a company?

Yes. It means the company contacted you.

Is hear of common in negative sentences?

Yes. People often say they have never heard of someone or something.

hack-into-by-at-to, in "haggle with" or "haggle for"? "hail from" or "hail as"? hamper by, due, in, for or throughout? "handle by" or "handle in"? hang in, from, over, around or onto? "happen to" or "happen in"? harass by, in, at, for or with? "harm by" or "harm to"? harvest from, in, for, at or by? hasten to, by, from, after or into? hate on, for, by, about or in?

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