Из окна слышно музыку.

From the window, music can be heard.

Breakdown of Из окна слышно музыку.

• музыка: the music
• окно: the window
• из: from
• слышно: audible

Questions & Answers about Из окна слышно музыку.

Why is there no subject in the sentence? Who is doing the hearing?

Russian often uses impersonal sentences for perceptions. Слышно is an impersonal predicative meaning “it is audible/one can hear.” The sentence means “Music can be heard,” without naming the hearer. If you want to mention the experiencer, add a dative: Мне/нам/ему/ей/им слышно музыку (из окна) = “I/we/he/she/they can hear the music.”

Why is музыку in the accusative instead of nominative музыка?

With impersonal слышно, the thing perceived is typically in the accusative, mirroring the verb слышать (+ accusative): Слышно музыку. If you want nominative, you must switch to the agreeing predicate: Слышна музыка. So:

• Из окна слышно музыку.
• Из окна слышна музыка. Both are correct; they use different constructions.

Can I say Из окна слышна музыка? What’s the difference from …слышно музыку?

Yes. Слышна музыка uses the short-form adjective (fem. sg.) and treats “музыка” as the grammatical subject. Слышно музыку is impersonal with an object. Nuance: the impersonal form is very neutral and common; the agreeing form can sound a touch more descriptive/poetic (“music is audible”).

What case is окна here, and why not окно?

It’s genitive singular, required by the preposition из (“from, out of”): из окна. Note that окна can also be nominative plural in other contexts; here the preposition disambiguates it. For plural “windows,” you’d say из окон.

Why из and not с or от or у?

• из + Gen. = from the inside/out of; also conventional with viewpoint phrases: из окна видно/слышно…
• с + Gen. = off (a surface)/down from: с окна упал горшок (“a pot fell off the window”). Not used for viewpoint with “window.”
• от + Gen. = away from: от окна дует (“a draft comes from the window”).
• у + Gen. = at/by: у окна слышно музыку (“by the window, you can hear music”).

Does Из окна mean the sound is coming out of the window, or that you hear it when you are at the window?

It can be read both ways, but the default here is “coming from the window” (the window as the source). If you want to stress the listening position, use у окна: У окна слышно музыку (“By the window, you can hear the music”).

Is Из окна слышно музыка ever correct?

No. After impersonal слышно, use the accusative: музыку. If you want nominative, change the predicate to an agreeing form: слышна музыка.

How flexible is the word order?

Quite flexible; you can shift parts to highlight them:

• Музыку слышно из окна.
• Слышно музыку из окна.
• Из окна музыку слышно. (colloquial/emphasizes location) The core meaning stays the same.

How do I say who hears it?

Use the dative of experiencer:

• Мне слышно музыку из окна. = “I can hear the music from the window.”
• Ему/ей/нам/им слышно музыку из окна.

How do I negate it?

Switch the perceived noun to genitive after negation:

• Affirmative: Из окна слышно музыку.
• Negative: Из окна не слышно музыки. Also: Мне не слышно музыки из окна.

What are natural alternatives/synonyms?

• Из окна слышна музыка. (agreeing predicate)
• Из окна слышится музыка. (suggests the sound is perceived, often faint/distant)
• Из окна доносится музыка. (the sound “wafts/drifts” from afar)
• For the vantage point: У окна слышно музыку.

Can I omit the thing heard if it’s obvious?

Yes, in context: Из окна слышно. This is informal and relies on prior mention of what is heard.

How do stress and pronunciation work here?

Stresses: из окна́ слы́шно му́зыку. Roughly: [iz ak-NA] [SLYSH-no] [MOO-zy-ku]. Notes:

• слы́шно has stress on the first syllable.
• окна́ is stressed on the last syllable.
• му́зыку is stressed on the first syllable.

Could I use a finite verb like слышать instead?

Yes, but then you must name the subject:

• Мы из окна слышим музыку.
• Я слышу музыку из окна. Using impersonal слышно avoids specifying the hearer, which is often more natural.

What about в окне or за окном?

• в окне = “in the window/on the pane” (e.g., reflections): В окне виден свет.
• за окном = “outside the window/beyond the window,” including with sounds: За окном слышна музыка (“You can hear music outside”).