1
When I got up, I listened to a strange noise in the kitchen.
When I got up, I heard a strange noise in the kitchen.
Use hear when a sound comes to your ears without you trying: ‘I heard a knock at the door.’ ‘Can you speak louder? I can’t hear you.’
Use listen when you deliberately pay attention to a sound: ‘I’m listening to the news.’ ‘Listen! Somebody is in the kitchen.’
2
I often listen music while I work.
I often listen to music while I work.
Use listen to + noun/pronoun: ‘listen to music’, ‘listen to the teacher’, ‘listen to me’.
We can use listen without to when there is no object: ‘Please listen!’