"He does not listen."

Translation: Er hört nicht zu.

[Soglio]

? Doesn't "Er hört nicht" mean "He does not hear" rather than "He does not listen"?

[deactivated user]

It depends on the context. If this is about obedience or following instructions, "Er hört nicht" is fine. Otherwise, it should be "Er hört nicht zu".

[BillDe]

Isn't there a better way to make this distinction in German? In English "He doesn't listen." carries very many different meanings than "He doesn't hear." German must have a way to make these differences too.

[Soglio]

Thank you.

[PhilipBond7]

What does the "zu" represent?

[Lorem_Ipsum64]

The “zu” is part of the separable verb “zuhören”, meaning “to listen to”.

[AlexRdv]

"er hört nicht auf" is also fine?

[Ana738550]

Zuhören = to listen to, aufhören = to stop. "Er hört nicht auf" = he does not stop.

[dimrub]

Why er hort zu nicht was not accepted?

[Levi]

That would need to be "Er hört nicht zu." Did you see Christian's comment above?
2014.07.04

[Margo233621]

Er hört nicht auf sie would be "he doesn't listen to her".

[MarkWelch7]

So would "Er hört sie nicht auf" mean he does not stop her?