Ch 35 · Lesson 17Spanish · Chapter 35 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
Ver or mirar, oír or escuchar
What reaches you (, ) against what you attend to (, ), for feel and hear, and why is not .
The short version
.
Why?Hide
and are what reaches your eyes and ears; and are paying attention. a Juan happened by chance; a is watching. The infinitive or gerund works the same with all four. In much of Latin America also covers plain hearing.
Ver or mirar, oír or escuchar
and are what reaches your eyes and ears. and are paying attention on purpose. The grammar is identical:
| Verb | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
Juan . | I saw Juan cross the road. | |
. | I was watching the children play. | |
. | I heard the neighbours argue. | |
. | I listened to my sister sing. |
means it reached you; means you listened in. In much of Latin America, though, is also everyday hearing: . - I heard a noise.
Sentir: feel, and hear in Spain
works the same way for what you feel:
.- I felt the ground shake..- I felt someone touching my shoulder.
In Spain also means to hear a sound you were not listening for:
.- I didn't hear you come in.
Seeing is not making: la vi salir, la hice salir
Perception verbs and causative verbs share a shape, verb + infinitive, but the meanings are opposite:
| Verb | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
. | I saw her leave. | |
. | I made her leave. | |
. | I heard him cry. | |
. | I made him cry. |
If the subject only saw or heard it, it is a perception verb. If the subject brought it about, it is a causative verb.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pedro . | Pedro . | a person takes the a |
| a . | . | nothing before the infinitive |
| . | . | a thing takes no a |
The other slip is overusing the gerund. English says "I saw her leaving" as often as "I saw her leave"; Spanish keeps the infinitive as the choice:
.- I saw her leave. Useonly for "on her way out".
Going further: Perception verbs at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
9-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
Spanish · Free printables
Worksheets for this lesson
Worksheets with answer keys built in. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekLesson 17 of 27 in this chapter