Difference between see, watch and look (at)
See is the ordinary verb to say that something ‘comes to our eyes’. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are paying attention.
- I saw Joe yesterday.
- Suddenly I saw something strange.
Progressive forms of see are not normally used with this meaning.
- I can see an elephant. (NOT I am seeing a elephant.)
Look (at) When we look at something we are trying to see what it is – we are paying attention. Note that we can see something even if we don’t want to, but we can only look at something deliberately.
- He looked at the baby with his eyes full of love. (NOT He saw the baby with his eyes full of love.)
- She looked at the picture.
- ‘Look here.’
Note that look is followed by a preposition when there is an object. When there is no object, there is no preposition.
- Look at the photo. (NOT Look the photo.)
- Look here. (NOT Look at here.)
Watch has more or less the same meaning as look. We usually use watch to talk about looking at events that change or develop.
- Did you watch the football match yesterday. (NOT Did you look at the football match yesterday.)
- What are you doing? I am watching the TV serial.
Watch him – I am certain he is up to something.
Watch is normally used with TV.
- Don’t spend too much time watching TV.
Both watch and see can be used to talk about films and TV programs.
- We watched/saw a great film
- I saw that movie yesterday.
Now let's practice!
