Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 35

CEFR B1-B2

4 min read

Test yourself (17 questions)

Spanish Perception Verbs: la vi salir vs la vi saliendo

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

After , , , and , an infinitive reports the whole action and a gerund catches it in the middle:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  • . - I saw her leave.
  • . - I saw her leaving.

Perception verbs at a glance

The whole page on one screen. Same verbs, two camera angles.

infinitive (the whole action)gerund (in the middle)What do the colours mean?
VerbSpanishEnglish
.I saw her leave.
.I saw her leaving.
.I heard them sing.
.I heard him singing.
.I was watching the children play.
.I listened to her play the piano.
.I felt the ground shake.

  • la vi salir: the whole exit, start to finish

  • la vi saliendo: one moment in the middle

Timeline from past to now, with now marked.

The infinitive is the default. Reach for the gerund only when you mean "in the middle of it" or "at it".

The infinitive: the whole action

infinitive (the whole action)What do the colours mean?

The infinitive reports the action as one finished event:

VerbSpanishEnglish
.I saw her leave.
.We saw the plane land.
.I heard the door shut.
.I heard them sing.
.I saw my brother come in.

A noun doer can go before or after the infinitive: . and . both mean I saw my brother come in.

The gerund: caught in the middle

infinitive (the whole action)gerund (in the middle)What do the colours mean?

The gerund freezes the action while it is going on. You caught it happening, without claiming you saw it start or end:

Four panels, each person in the middle of an action: a woman with long hair and a bow reads an open book; a man with a moustache stirs a steaming pot on the stove; a boy runs, arms swinging; a girl with pigtails talks on the phone, with sound waves and a speech bubble.
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

La vi leyendo (I saw her reading), lo vi cocinando (I saw him cooking), lo vi corriendo (I saw him running), la oí hablando por teléfono (I heard her talking on the phone).

The same sentence both ways:

  • Juan . - I heard Juan play the piano. (the whole piece, or the fact that he played)
  • Juan . - I heard Juan playing the piano. (he was at it when I heard)

If English could add "in the middle of" or "away" (singing away), the gerund fits.

The doer: la vi, vi a Pedro

infinitive (the whole action)the doer (a direct object)What do the colours mean?

The person you see or hear is a direct object: , , , before the conjugated verb, or a noun with the personal a:

DoerSpanishEnglish
her .I saw her leave.
them .I heard them sing.
a person Pedro .I saw Pedro leave.
people .I heard the children play.
a thing .I heard the door shut.

A thing takes no . In Spain you will also hear for a man, which the RAE accepts; for a woman it is . for her appears only when the infinitive has its own object: . - I heard her say she was coming.

Ver or mirar, oír or escuchar

and are what reaches your eyes and ears. and are paying attention on purpose. The grammar is identical:

VerbSpanishEnglish
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:

VerbSpanishEnglish
.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

WrongRightWhy
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. Use only for "on her way out".

What to do next

  1. Default to the infinitive; switch to the gerund for "in the middle of it".
  2. Do the night-noise story below.
  3. Then the gerund page for where -ndo works on its own.

Practise: test yourself

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the word for each gap.

A noise in the night

Anoche oí la puerta de la calle. Me levanté y vi mi hermano subir las escaleras con los zapatos en la mano. Más tarde oí hablar con alguien por teléfono. Por la mañana mi madre se enfadó tanto que lo hizo perdón a toda la familia.

Gap 1 of 4

Sort into groups

0/6

Did the speaker see the whole action, or catch it in the middle?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/4

Choose the verb that matches the English.

  1. a Juan cruzar la calle. (I saw him, by chance)

  2. a mi hermana cantar toda la canción. (I listened, on purpose)

  3. La salir. (I made her leave)

  4. Sentí el suelo. (I felt the ground shake)

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between and ?
, with the infinitive, reports the whole action: I saw her leave. , with the gerund, catches it in the middle: I saw her leaving, on her way out. The infinitive is the choice; use the gerund when you mean the action was going on when you noticed it.
Which pronoun goes with Spanish perception verbs?
The person or thing you perceive is a direct object, so , , or before the verb: (I saw her leave), (I heard them sing). In Spain you will also hear for a man, which the RAE accepts; for a woman it is . for a woman appears only when the infinitive has its own object: (I heard her say she was coming).
Do you need the personal a with perception verbs?
Yes, when the doer is a named person or a person noun: a Pedro (I saw Pedro leave), a (I heard the children playing). With a thing there is no a: (I heard the door shut).
What is the difference between and , and and ?
and are what reaches your eyes and ears: a Juan (I saw Juan cross the road). and are paying attention on purpose: a (I was watching the children play). In much of Latin America is also everyday hearing: .
How is different from ?
reports what you saw: she left and you watched. is a causative: you made her leave. The shape is the same, perception or causative verb plus an infinitive, so the verb decides the meaning.