See, look at or watch?

Often we learn how to use language correctly by hearing the same words many times or guessing correctly from context. However, sometimes it’s difficult to understand the difference between certain words that have a similar meaning. For example, three verbs that have similar but nevertheless different meanings are ‘to see’, ‘to look at’ and ‘to watch’. Let’s take a look at these more closely:

See

Seeing is what you do all the time when your eyes are open - apart from if you are blind or partially sighted. For example:

I see the same face in the mirror every day.

She sees the park from her window.

We saw a new type of bread in the supermarket yesterday.

Look at

We use the verb ‘to look at’ when our eyes are open and we are using them to pay attention to or notice something. For example:

I look at the same person in the mirror every day (I see myself and notice how I look).

She looks at the park from her window (She see it and pays attention to what she’s seeing).

I looked at a new type of bread in the supermarket yesterday (I saw it and – for example - picked it up to read the ingredients).

Watch

The difference between 'to look at' and 'to watch' is an important one. We use watch when we are using our eyes and paying attention to something and it is moving or doing some kind of action.

For example, we look at a website, but we watch videos on it.

Let’s break it down with some more examples:

I watched a great TV programme about hamsters last night. (The pictures on the TV were moving).

We’re watching the football match at Wembley Stadium. (The football players are moving)

She watches him dancing. (He is moving)

You can also watch something because you are expecting something new to happen or you are trying to avoid something new happening. For example:

The dog watches the door until his owner comes home.

She is watching the saucepan to make sure the food doesn’t burn.

So in summary:

See = Your eyes are open

Look at = Your eyes are open and you’re paying attention.

Watch = Your eyes are open and you’re paying attention and it is moving or may change in some way.

An example using all three verbs in one sentence is:

I saw a beautiful bird in the park. I went closer to look at it…and then watched as it flew away.

If you can think of some sentences using all three of these verbs, I’d love to see them (and look at them 😊 ) in the comments section below.

Do you have any questions about this? Would you like more information about intermediate/advanced English lessons? If so, don’t hesitate to get in touch!