subject + see/hear/watch + object + base verbUse this for a whole action. No to before the second verb.
Perception Verbs
B1After see, hear, and watch, use object + base verb for a whole action and object + verb-ing for an action in progress.
What you'll learn
- Use the base verb to show a complete action after a perception verb.
- Use the -ing form to show an action in progress after a perception verb.
- Choose the form from the meaning you want: whole action or action in progress.
- Build the pattern with object in the middle: saw Anna leave / heard Anna singing.
- Notice context clues that point to the -ing form meaning.
Structure
subject + see/hear/watch + object + verb-ingUse this for an action in progress. The second verb ends in -ing.
Build a sentence
Perception verb
Object
Action
sawAnnacross
I saw Anna cross the street.
Use the base verb for the whole action.
When to use
Whole event
Use the base verb when you saw or heard the action as one complete event. I saw Nina drop her keys.
Action in progress
Use the -ing form when you focus on the middle of the action as it was happening. I heard Leo talking on the phone.
What you noticed
Use this pattern to report what your eyes or ears picked up in a real situation. We watched the kids play in the yard.
Markers
when I arrivedat that momentin the middle of the nightthrough the windowas I walked past
Common mistakes
Wrong
I saw Anna to cross the street.
Correct
I saw Anna cross the street.
After see, hear, and watch, do not use to before the second verb.
Wrong
We watched Tom leaving the office at 6:00.
Correct
We watched Tom leave the office at 6:00.
Leaving focuses on the action in progress. Leave shows the whole event as one complete action.
Wrong
I heard Maya sing in the next room when I opened the door.
Correct
I heard Maya singing in the next room when I opened the door.
When you describe what was happening at that moment, use the -ing form.
Wrong
I saw leave the building.
Correct
I saw Maria leave the building.
This pattern needs an object between the perception verb and the second verb.
Wrong
We heard singing Anna in the kitchen.
Correct
We heard Anna singing in the kitchen.
Put the object right after heard, then add the second verb.
Common misconceptions
❝ The base verb and the -ing form mean exactly the same thing after see, hear, and watch. ❞
They are close, but not identical. The base verb shows the whole action; the -ing form shows the action in progress.
❝ Every second verb after another verb needs to. ❞
Not here. After see, hear, and watch in this pattern, use the base verb or the -ing form, not to + verb.
Skills in this rule (5)
BARE_FOR_COMPLETE_ACTIONw5Use the base verb after see, hear, or watch for a complete action
After see, hear, and watch, use object + base verb when you mean the whole action from start to finish.
ING_FOR_ACTION_IN_PROGRESSw5Use the -ing form after see, hear, or watch for an action in progress
After see, hear, and watch, use object + verb-ing when you focus on the middle of the action or the action as it was happening.
PICK_FORM_FROM_MEANINGw5Choose between base verb and -ing from the meaning
Use the base verb for the whole event and the -ing form for the action in progress. The choice changes the picture in the listener's mind.
USE_PERCEPTION_PATTERNw4Use see, hear, and watch with object + second verb
Build sentences like saw Anna leave or heard the baby crying. Put the object between the perception verb and the second verb.
MARKERS_FOR_IN_PROGRESS_MEANINGw3Recognize cues for the -ing form meaning
Words and contexts like when I arrived, at that moment, or in the middle of the night often point to an action in progress.