What are all the ways a hadith can be transmitted and what do they mean?

On another question , Sayyid mentioned four things someone could say to report how a saying of the prophet came to them through someone else: - "from - An عَنْ" - "he narrated to us - hadthna حَدَّثَنَا" - "he informed us - akhbarna أخبارنا" - "I heard - samitu سَمِعْتُ" What exactly do each of these signify? How do they differ?