Watch vs. see (in the case of movies)

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alexanndra

#29454 Mon, 10 May 04 03:41 AM

OK, so I've explained to my students that "watching" is something you do intentionally and "seeing" just means that your eyes come in contact with something, but then I began to question myself when I thought of this example:

What are you doing? I'm WATCHING a movie.
VS.
Have you SEEN that movie already?

If watching a movie is something you do intentionally, why would it change from "watch" to "see", just because of a change in verb tense?

Also, how does "look" fit into this whole equation?

Thanks!

alexanndra

Joined on Mon, Sep 15 2003

Mexico (expat)

New Member (33)

Verbs, Tenses

suzi

#29518 Mon, 10 May 04 08:48 PM

because life's like that? not always as patterned as we would like for easy teaching!

suzi

Joined on Wed, Jan 7 2004

Full Member (465)

Teacher Eric

#47259 Sat, 25 Sep 04 08:08 AM

I believe we use it (see) idiomatically when we say "Let's see a movie this weekend." or
"Have you seen the play, Lez Miserables?". So verb tense doesn't have anything to do with it.

Your explanation on the difference between watch and see is correct. I've also had the same problem with my Korean and Japanese students. It even becomes more complicated to explain when they add look, check, and observe into the mix!

Teacher Eric

Joined on Mon, Aug 16 2004

Full Member (171)

Manila-based ESL/ESP teacher with a TESOL. Hoping to get a "Pass" in the DELTA.

Verbs, Difference between, Tenses

Mister Micawber

#47309 Sat, 25 Sep 04 05:00 PM

'Watch' is used with movement; hence we 'watch a movie/TV/baseball game/ballet'. 'See' is the objective activity. 'Look at' is the conscious intent.

Mister Micawber

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004

Yokohama

Veteran Member (22,245)

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

BMO

#47324 Sat, 25 Sep 04 06:47 PM

When listing movies as a hobby, as in my hobbies are: collecting stamps, writing emails, cooking, dancing, etc. Do you say:

1. Watching movies
2. Seeing movies
3. Movies
4. Going to movies

BMO

Joined on Tue, Aug 17 2004

Full Member (164)

Mister Micawber

#47355 Sun, 26 Sep 04 02:19 AM

To go back to your original question. Alexanndra-- it has nothing to do with verb tense:

'What are you doing? I'm WATCHING a movie. '-- this is a Q & A about the activity and the speaker/listener's involvement in it. Both 'watch' and 'look at' are intentional, but the former tends to move while the latter is immobile. ( 'I have been watching movies/TV/professional baseball since I was a kid'; 'I've been looking at this picture for an hour but still cannot find Wally').

'Have you SEEN that movie already?'-- here the speaker is referring to the objective event. The response would likely be 'yes, I saw it last week' or 'no, I haven't (seen it); 'Oh, there's Wally! I see him now'.

Many strange-seeming combinations are liable to occur, depending on the speaker's conception of or attitude toward the topic:

'I'm watching this movie on video, even though I saw it in the theatre last year; I recorded the video last week, but haven't been able to look at it until now.'

Mister Micawber

Verbs, Tenses

bubu prasant

#47377 Sun, 26 Sep 04 06:59 AM

well I think It's got something to do with the nature of the verb

some verbs like stative verbs [chiefly verbs of senses] function as a conclusion of something

For example "THINK"

The difference between "I am thinking" and "I think" is clear and the two "think"s are not substitutable.

A----- "Do you think 'B' did the right thing in that situation?

C------ " Wait, I am thinking about it."

C------ "ya, I think he did not do the right thing

similarly 'see' is more like a conclusion or achievement of some work while 'watch' is the actiion itself.

Let's see what califjim thinks about it, or how he sees it

I am sure he has been looking at it carefully.

bubu prasant

Joined on Thu, May 13 2004

Full Member (147)

prasant mishra

Verbs, Difference between, Stative verbs

CalifJim

#47381 Sun, 26 Sep 04 07:25 AM

Yes, I've been puzzled about this since I noticed the post. I'm inclined to agree that "see" can substitute for "watch" as a sort of idiom when the "watching" is presented in "perfective aspect", i.e., as a act regarded as a point in time rather than as an activity occurring over a period of time ("imperfective aspect"). There is also the flavor of "going out to attend an event" which is more clearly present in "see" than in "watch", as in "We went to the movies. We saw Silver City", but "We stayed home and watched a video tape of Silver City".

I'm going to list some sentences. The purpose for this is unclear, even to me! Maybe they will stimulate further discussion. Smile [:)]

I watch movies often.
I'm watching television.
I like to watch movies.
I was watching the movie.
I watched the movie.
I have watched that movie.
I have been watching movies since I was 5 years old.
I'll watch that movie with you.
That's a movie I won't be watching again!
Would you like to watch the play?
Would you like to watch a baseball game?

? I see movies often.
* I'm seeing television.
? I like to see movies.
* I was seeing the movie.
I saw the movie. = I watched the movie.
I have seen that movie. = I have watched that movie.
*I have been seeing movies since I was 5 years old.
*I'll see that movie with you.
That's a movie I won't be seeing again!
Would you like to see the play?
Would you like to see a baseball game?

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (17,512)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

Idioms

Teo

#199556 Wed, 22 Feb 06 02:52 AM

Are they really equivalent to each other?

CalifJim wrote:

I saw the movie. = I watched the movie.
I have seen that movie. = I have watched that movie.

I would say that in the present or future tense there is really not much difference between the two. However, in the past tenses, I think "I watched a movie" puts more emphasis on the process, while "I saw the movie" or "I've seen that movie" emphasizes the result - you know what happens in the movie, you can discuss it, you probably don't want to see it again. So 1] What did you do on the fight from Paris to New York? I ate dinner, watched a movie, took a nap, played solitaire, etc. [2] Have you seen "Million Dollar Baby"? Yes, I saw it on the flight from Paris to New York.

Hope this helps. -- khoff

Native speaker of American English (but not a grammar expert)