When someone asks, “Are you hard of hearing?“, they’re usually not inquiring about someone’s ability to hear well. It’s often a rhetorical question used when the speaker feels that they’re not being listened to, or if they’ve had to repeat themselves several times.
Here are two examples in sentences:
Example 1:
After repeating the instructions three times, Sarah finally asked Mike, “Are you hard of hearing? I’ve told you how to do this several times now.”
Example 2:
Tom was frustrated when Emma didn’t respond to his question, and he asked, “Emma, are you hard of hearing? I asked if you’re ready to leave.”
Now, let’s see two examples in a conversation:
Example 3:
Emma: What did you say, Tom? I didn’t catch that.
Tom: Are you hard of hearing, Emma? I’ve already repeated it twice!
Example 4:
Lucy: John, can you please turn down the music?
John: What? I can’t hear you.
Lucy: John, are you hard of hearing? I asked you to turn down the music!
So, when you hear someone ask, “Are you hard of hearing?“, it’s typically used out of frustration or impatience when they feel like they’re not being listened to or have had to repeat themselves multiple times.
