See, look, watch and stare... Part B

Today, I will finish up this two part series explaining the differences between see, stare, look and watch. I will go over the verbs see and watch. If anything isn't clear, please ask me a question or if you just want to say hello, leave me a post!

See

This is simply the physical act of using your eyes. You are not really paying attention or focusing on anything.

ex:

1. Did you see that? A UFO!!! (did you notice the UFO)
2. He's blind, he can't see. (his eyes don't work)
3. I saw you kissing another girl! (I saw you kissing her with my own eyes)
4. I'm nearsighted, so I can't see things that are far away. (my eyes don't focus well on things that are far away)

See is used in the same way as watch to talk about movies, sporting events and, TV shows or movies in the PAST or FUTURE TENSE.

ex:

1. I saw a movie yesterday = I watched a movie yesterday
2. I'm gonna see a hockey game tomorrow= I'm gonna watch a hockey game tomorrow
3. Did you see the Hanshin Tigers game? = Did you watch the Hanshin Tigers game?

Be careful, when you use see to talk about meeting a specific person or group(like a sports team) then you can ONLY use SEE.

ex:

1. I saw a play NOT I watched a play (group of people)
2. I saw my friend Jill yesterday. (specific person)
3. I saw the Hanshin Tigers last weekend (group of people)
4. I'm gonna see Tom tomorrow NOT I'm gonna watch Tom (specific person)

You'll notice that the 3rd sentence "I saw the Hanshin Tigers last weekend" is similar to "Did you see/watch the Hanshin Tigers game?" BUT there is a difference. For "I saw", we are talking about the TEAM(group of people) but for "Did you see/watch?", we are talking about the Hanshin Tigers GAME not the team.

Also SEE is usually NOT USED in the progressive tenses. It is ALWAYS:

I'm watching a movie.

NOT

I'm seeing a movie.

"I'm seeing Sarah" means I am dating Sarah...

WATCH

Watch means you are looking at something or someone and PAYING ATTENTION to what happens. Your brain is keeping track of what your eyes are showing you. This is why it is the preferred verb for the progressive tenses. It can also be used in the past or present tenses.

ex:

1. I watch TV everyday. (present)
2. I'm gonna watch TV tomorrow. (future)
3. I watched TV yesterday. (past)
4. I'm watching TV. (present progressive)

It can be used for BOTH specific or general movies or TV shows.

ex:

1. I watched a movie yesterday. (general)
2. I watched Speed racer yesterday. (specific)
3. I watched Zettai Kareshi last night. (specific)
4. I watched TV last night. (general)

BE CAREFUL watch is ALWAYS used with TV and see is NEVER used with TV.

I watch TV every night.

I watched a TV show this morning.

NOT

I see TV.

If you say "I see a TV" it means that you see the physical object, not what is playing on the TV.

Ok I think that is enough, let me know if everything is clear to you~!

Phil