
Learn the difference between these two words
Loading summary
A
This is the All Ears English Podcast. Did you see it or did you watch it? Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz and Lindsey McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the Allears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward/app.
B
The verbs see and watch are both key for sharing how you take in the world, so they matter for connection. Let's get them straight today. Have you ever met someone whose English wasn't perfect, but they sounded incredibly fluent? That's because fluency isn't about perfection. It's about flow. It's about expressing ideas clearly, responding naturally and staying engaged in the conversation and generally feeling connected. If you're ready to move beyond accuracy and into true fluency, start by finding your current level. Take our free 2 minute fluency quiz today. Go to allearsenglish.com fluencyscore that's allearsenglish.com Fluten C Y S C O R E.
A
Hey there, Aubry. What's shaking?
B
Not too much, Lindsay. Are you watching any good TV shows lately?
A
Yeah, I mean, I'm back to the classics that I watched last year. Like Doc is a good one and Ghosts and let's see, Matlock is one that.
B
Did I tell you I started watching Ghosts? You told me about it. I watched it with my kids because I watched one episode. I was like, my kids are gonna love this.
A
It's good.
B
We love it. We laugh so hard. It's so clever.
A
That's kind of cool that they're able to laugh at that. Because in my head it was like, okay, like, you know Pete, for example, he's from the 80s and I can tell, okay, I know exactly every phrase he says and I remember when we used to say those phrases. But your kids weren't around then and they can still love it and enjoy it.
B
I love it because it's funny. It's really well written. There are some of those references that they don't get. Same with Stranger Things. Stranger Things is from the 80s and they don't get all the references, but it's so funny. They laugh like they love. There's layers, the one that knew because they know Hamilton. We all love the play Hamilton and the guy who knew Hamilton but is like shocked that Hamilton's famous and so mad that he's not. They thought he was so funny. It's a great show.
A
That's cool that you're watching that now. Yeah, I watch that all the time. I think it's great. It's good writing and it's very nostalgic because you do think of the different time periods and it's fun.
B
It's so clever. Well, the reason we're talking about that is we got a great question in our Q and A from Shelly. Shout out to Shelly. She was asking about the difference between see and watch and when to use each. And this is tricky because they are used differently in other languages. This is something that you can't translate directly. You have to know how they're used in English.
A
But they're important words for connection. Right, Aubrey? We talk about what we experience, how we take in the world, what we witness, which is a huge part of, of the human experience, not to mention
B
what we're watching on tv. I feel like this is a very common connection topic. What shows are you watching? Give me some recommendations.
A
Yeah, we even just connected in that. In that quick moment there about enjoying the same show. And that makes you feel closer to someone, right?
B
Right, exactly. But you do have to know the difference. You know, we couldn't say what shows are you seeing on tv? We use watch there. So it's important if you want to be understood, to connect, you want to express yourself accurately and use the correct verb here.
A
Yeah, there's quite a bit of nuance. If you really dig into see versus watch, there's some nuance. So guys, bear with us today. Let's get into it. Listen. You can always listen again to these episodes if you need to, but go ahead and hit the follow button right here on All Ears English. This is where you want to be five days a week. Let our episodes drop right into your queue. Okay?
B
Yes, absolutely. So let's dive into see first. Right. This is about noticing something visually. Right. It just happens you weren't necessarily trying cuz for watching, like there's effort there. Seeing is usually passive and it can be quick.
A
Yeah. I mean, you didn't just happen to see ghosts, right? You weren't just watching TV and you saw a commercial come on. No. You went and you figured out how to watch it, how to get your kids in front of the TV together.
B
And. And that's a good point. That it. You use them both in the same sentence. Right. I was watching a Show. And I saw something out the window. I saw a commercial come on. Right. That's when we use it for spontaneously just talking about something we witnessed visually.
A
This is passive. It can happen quickly. Flashes in front of us.
B
Right, Right. There was no intention. Maybe I didn't want to see it, but I couldn't help it.
A
Exactly. Exactly. But if it's a dog, you do, Right. Did you see that cute dog? Right. There's a dog in the park.
B
Or I don't see a parking spot. And this is interesting because what would it be? What would it mean if I said, did you watch that cute dog? You could. Well, that means something else.
A
You could totally say it means you. You saw the dog and then you stopped and you had your eyes actually followed the dog.
B
Yeah. You observed it. Maybe you watched it play for a little while. There's intention there. Right. Whereas C, it's just like, quickly. You saw a dog.
A
Yeah. Best thing in the world is watching two dogs play together. Yeah. It is. Like, I agree.
B
Especially like, puppies are really energetic dogs and they're like, jumping around each other. It's so cute.
A
It's the best thing in the world. So then also, C can mean that you bumped into a person unexpectedly and you saw them, right?
B
Yes. We use C this way. Be like, oh, I saw your mom at the grocery store yesterday. And that might mean that you just saw them and that didn't talk to them. It might mean you stopped and chatted with them for a little bit. Because sometimes we'll use saw when we mean like, oh, I saw them and we visited.
A
Yeah. You could have seen them from far away. And maybe you couldn't approach them or you actually chatted. Yeah. C is also about ability. Aubry, tell us about this.
B
Yeah, you might say, I can't see you without my glasses. So here we're talking about this. The, you know, sight one of our senses. Are we able to see. This reminds me of Lindsay. Have you seen the movie Bird Box?
A
Yeah, I think I have.
B
It was probably a while ago, right? It was Sandra Bullock. I watched it with my kids. I'm like, I think they will actually like it. They really like a thriller. And, oh, now I'm realizing I can't spoil. Spoil. But for those of you who haven't watched it, the end has a lot to. The whole movie really has a lot to do with seeing and what you see. So people are like, wearing blindfolds. So highly recommend it. No spoilers, but.
A
Well, that was a really intense movie. Quite a thriller.
B
Yeah. Yes.
A
Very intense.
B
Yeah. And also we say we see someone for an appointment. Right. Like, I'm gonna see my doctor this week. Doesn't mean you're going to see them from a distance. That means you are meeting with them.
A
Yes, exactly. Exactly. So you've got an appointment, you need to see a doctor. Right. You've had a pain in your knee. It's time to go see a doctor. Right?
B
Yeah. Or someone might say that. Right. If they think if you break your leg and you need to go to the hospital, they might say, you need to see a doctor about this. Which is interesting. We're not actually saying, see what we mean. We're kind of using it idiomatically to say you need to visit a doctor, you need to be seen by a doctor. You need to have them look at this.
A
Schedule an appointment with a doctor. Exactly. Let's flip over to the other side, Aubrey, now, and talk about watch. So let's look at the nuanced differences. So watch is when you focus on something visually. This is more intentional. Like we said, we stop, we see a dog, then we stop and we watch the dog.
B
Right, Exactly. It's intentional, it's active. There's time to it. It might involve movement. Right. But that's definitely not just something that we passively do. We happen to see something watching, we're doing with intention.
A
Yeah. Your eyes are literally moving with the thing. He's watching the kids on the playground. What else?
B
Aubry, could you say watch the road when you're driving? Right. So because it's. I don't just see the row. I could be like, oh, I see the road. But if I'm doing something, actively watching out for something, watching the road, there's intention to that. I'm focusing on what I'm looking at.
A
Or we watch the sunset together. Yes. Right. You can also say, we saw the sunset together, but what's the difference?
B
Yeah, the difference is maybe you're on a walk, you're not intending to see the sunset, and just like, oh, we saw the sunset. It was beautiful. There's intention till we watched the sunset. That probably means you stopped and watched it for a few minutes. There's time to it. There's focus to it.
A
Yeah, totally. So I used to teach tennis as an assistant tennis pro, and my boss, the head pro at the club, I watched that. I. We taught at, used to have a saying of his own. So everyone in tennis says, watch the ball, watch the ball, watch the ball. Right?
B
Yeah.
A
But his thing was see the ball. So he.
B
Oh, Interesting.
A
He made it like a bigger thing and he. So he would just see the ball. See the ball. So less about the mechanics of the eye moving towards the ball, but more broadly seeing the ball. So we can play with things that way, too.
B
Definitely. Especially in sports. I feel like we'll play with it that way. Right. And people will make jokes. Sometimes in volleyball, sometimes you'll be like, you'll warn someone that there's a tip or whatever. You be like, watch out or something. And then you might make a joke that's like, I saw it happen, but I didn't do anything about it.
A
Right, exactly. Exactly. So it's fun when we have these little jokes, these contrasts, we can really understand the meanings.
B
Exactly. Yeah. So when it comes to see versus watch, we als. We often use them in the same conversation in the same sentences. So, for example, we'll do a couple little mini role plays here. Did you see that gorgeous bird earlier? Yeah.
A
I was watching it fly around the garden all morning. So that's a very clear differentiator there. We see the.
B
Exactly. If that didn't happen, if it just flew past, you'd be like, oh, yeah, I saw it. It was so pretty. But if it's in your yard for a while and there's time and you stop to watch it, that's when you'd use watch.
A
Exactly. Or what about this one?
B
Did you see that stop sign back there?
A
No, I wasn't watching the road. I'm so sorry.
B
Dangerous.
A
I am definitely known for rolling through stop signs or kind of like just not stopping where you're supposed to stop first.
B
It happens. It for sure happens. But yeah, this is a good point where someone would be like, oh, did you not see that stop sign? Right. Be like, I wasn't watching the road. Right. They're using these two because you wouldn't say, I'm not seeing the road. Clearly, you're seeing it. But we use watch in this way of also being careful. Watch out, watch the road. That's more like, focus on what you're doing and be careful.
A
Yes. Love it. Starting your own business is a dream for so many people. It's exciting, but it can be overwhelming. I know because I've done it. But Shopify makes it simpler. All the tools you need to launch are already included and ready from day one. Shopify's templates and AI tools get you a stunning site up and running fast. No coding needed. This means that you're free to create your brand in a way that reflects your company and your values. Shopify checkout means more customers actually buy and returning ones can do it in a single click. I remember so many long days and nights when I started Allers English trying to figure out how to make my website work. But Shopify's built in AI Assistant Sidekick is ready to help you build, troubleshoot and keep moving if questions come up. All you need is the idea. Shopify handles the rest. Start your free trial at shopify.com AE again. Start your free trial at shopify.com A E E one more time. Get your free trial at S-H-O-P-I-F-Y.com A E- all right, Aubry, we are back from break. So we've talked about the main differences between C and Watch. But then there are of course, situations where you could use both. All right.
B
Yeah. So movies are a good example. Someone might say, did you see that movie? Did you watch that movie? It means the same thing. And it's interesting how sometimes they are interchangeable.
A
That's true. Performances would be another one, like a Broadway play or something. Do you see the play? Did you watch the play? Really? It doesn't matter in this case which one.
B
Exactly. Sports events. I saw a game, I watched a game, I went to a game. These all mean the same thing.
A
Or online content. Like, did you see that meme on Instagram? Right.
B
Oh, that's a really good point though, because we wouldn't say, did you watch that meme if it's a picture. If it's a still picture, we would only say, did you see it? If it's a video, a movie, something with time to it. Then we'd say watch. Did you watch that Tip Tok video? Yeah.
A
It has to be like live action kind of.
B
Exactly. It was just a picture or a meme. Then we would say, did you see it?
A
Did you see it? That's a good. That's a good differentiator there, Aubry, but the meaning is slightly different. So let's go into this next piece here.
B
So when we're asking C, did you see the movie? Did you see the show? You attended, experienced or noticed something. And then Watch is more about you stopped and paid attention. So it's interesting how for some of these they are interchangeable, but for a lot of life we use one or the other.
A
Yeah. Like for example, last night we. We saw a basketball game. I went to a basketball game, I saw a game, but I didn't really watch the game, to be honest.
B
That's funny. You attended.
A
Yeah.
B
You didn't really Pay attention.
A
I. No, not really. I was actually just sort of trying to read the New York Times on my phone.
B
That's so funny. Yeah, so that's a good point. Right. So we would say like, oh, yeah, I saw the game, I went to the game. But if you say I watched the game, that means you were focused on it. You. You weren't just on your phone the whole time.
A
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Or see a movie. So did you have the experience of attending the movie?
B
Right, we saw a movie last Friday. Really? That just means we experienced it, we attended. But if someone says, did you watch that movie? Like it means you sa down and focus. Did you pay attention to it?
A
Exactly. So what's another sample sentence? Aubrey here?
B
Yeah, so you could say, I saw Julia posted an Instagram story, but I haven't watched it yet. And that's interesting because sometimes a story is a picture. Then you would just say, I haven't seen it. I haven't seen it. But if it's a video, yeah, I haven't watched it. Right.
A
And we could also insert that. I saw that Julia posted an Instagram story. I. I noticed here we're using C as notice something. I noticed the fact that Julia posted a story. I'm aware of it, but I haven't watched this.
B
Actually, this is a really interesting note for a future episode because today in the Q A, A student asked, why do native speakers sometimes drop that and why do they leave it? Why is sometimes that, you know, I saw that Julia posted or I saw Julia posted this. We had a great discussion about it and I'm going to plan an episode. So be sure to hit follow so you can get that episode in the future.
A
Love that idea. Really looking forward to that episode. Awesome. So what can we not say? Aubry, what's the not what not to do?
B
Yeah, we'll give you some not to do. So, for example, she TV show all night. There's duration here, right? There's time. So you could only say watch. She watched the TV show all night.
A
And also we watched the mountain. Well, mountains don't move.
B
Right.
A
This. So it's a still object, a mountain. So to see a mountain, you can see a mountain. Can't really watch a mountain because the mountain's not going anywhere. It doesn't require that your eyes track it.
B
This is such a good point. Right? You could watch animals climbing up the mountain. You can watch the sunset. Something's going to change, Watch the snowfall. But just something that a building a mountain. We wouldn't say we watch It. We might watch for people to come out of it or climb it, but if it's something stationary, we would say we see it. I see the mountain.
A
I see the really, really important nuance there.
B
Yeah, definitely.
A
Yeah. Or you watch your friends at the store. So don't say, I watched my friends at the store. It kind of sounds like you're creepy and spying.
B
Right? Right. It sounds like you're stalking them. Right. We would say I saw. I saw my friends at the store. I bumped into my friends at the store. It's true. This is such a good point. We don'. Say we watch people. We can say, like, I watched the kids playing.
A
Yeah. Because safety. Right. We watch my kids. We watch my dog. You're indicating, like, safety.
B
That's more about supervision. We will say, like, I watch someone, that we're, like, supervising for safety. But anyone else, we wouldn't say we watch them or. It's weird.
A
It's weird. Don't be weird.
B
Anyone. You don't. You shouldn't be supervising for safety. You should not be watching.
A
Exactly. All right, so let's do a role play. So you and I are on vacation in South Africa. O, I would love to go to South Africa.
B
Me too. We're on a safari tour here, spotting wild animals.
A
Okay. Did you see those elephants near the trees?
B
Yes, I saw them when they first. When we first drove up.
A
I've been watching the baby play in the mud. He's so cute.
B
That's adorable. Honestly, I could watch them all day.
A
Wait, do you see that grass moving? It could be another animal.
B
O, let's watch quietly so we don't scare it away.
A
Oh, gosh. That would be. That would be kind of intense.
B
Yeah. You're out there. Like, I'm imagining myself from, like, a jeep watching
A
if you're in a jeep, for sure. That's why they don't let little kids on safari. From what I understand.
B
Right. They'll just run away and get eaten by a lion much. Yeah, honestly.
A
So these are some great examples. So did you see those elephants near the trees? So it's more passive. Like, did you happen to see them? Did they procession.
B
Exactly. Right. So then I'm saying, like, oh, yeah, I saw them when we first drove up. And now we're going to switch to watch because you. There was some time here. You focused on this baby. I've been watching the baby play in
A
the mud, so now I'm focusing and I'm intentionally putting my eyes on the baby elephant. Right. How cute. Oh, my gosh.
B
Yes. Right. And this is interesting because you could say, oh, I saw the baby was playing in the mud. So it all sort of is how much you want to emphasize the time and focus, Right?
A
Yep. How much of your energy is going to this object? Exactly right. And I said, that's adorable. Honestly, I could watch them all day. Sorry. Keepers making want to be on the
B
microphone today to make an appearance on the podcast. Every once in a while he likes
A
to make an appearance. Yeah, I could watch them all day. So that's also indicating more intention, Right?
B
Exactly right. You. You could not say, I could see them all day because there's time. This is something that whenever there's time, it's got to be watch. I could watch them all day.
A
Yes. And then I said, wait, do you see that grass moving? So I didn't ask, do you watch that grass? That would be weird.
B
Yeah. Why would I watch grass moving? But you're asking, did you notice it? Did see that grass moving?
A
Again, more passive. Did you passively notice it?
B
Right, exactly. And then I say, let's watch quietly so we don't scare it away. So now we're going to watch now for that movement. And because there's time there, we wouldn't use c. Would use watch.
A
Yeah. So it seems like boiling it down, you know, just to get a final takeaway. I mean, it seems like we're. We're really looking at active versus passive a lot of times with these two.
B
Right, Exactly. Seeing is something that enters our vision, you know, happened as an experience. And then watch. It's more something we're focusing on intentionally. And there's usually time. A duration of time.
A
Yeah. But I do think, you know, just to keep in mind to finish up the episode, guys, this is worth your time figuring out because again, like we said at the top of the episode, it's about taking in the world. Right. And then reporting back and interacting with people in terms of what you're seeing, which is a huge connection skill. So it matters.
B
Absolutely. Yes. We talk about this all the time. Whether we're watching, asking someone what they watched on tv or if we're connecting about things we've seen in the world and observed. We use these verbs a lot to connect. So it is worth the time to get them straight.
A
Yes. Love it. Guys, if you are looking for your next next adventure with allers English right now, that could be episode 2573. Is this episode a slap on the wrist? Go and check that out and you will enjoy it. We guarantee it.
B
Yes, definitely. Scroll up if you missed that one. And Lindsay, this is really fun. I'm excited for all of you to connect about what you're watching. Recommend a new show to somebody. Spark that conversation.
A
Yes. Use what you've just learned.
B
Yes.
A
And you'll see it's immediately useful and you can apply it to your own life right away. Okay?
B
Absolutely.
A
All right, Aubry, talk soon. Bye.
B
See you next time. Bye.
A
Thanks for listening. To all ears. English Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time. Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building. You're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, Filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done, there's nothing like the American Express Platinum card. Find out your welcome offer after you apply, which could be as high as one hundred hundred and seventy five thousand points. Learn more and find out your offer at americanexpress.
B
Com.
A
Explore Platinum Terms Apply.
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Aubrey Carter
Date: July 25, 2026
In this episode, Lindsay and Aubrey answer a listener's question about the difference between the verbs "see" and "watch." They offer practical explanations, everyday examples, and role plays to help English learners understand and naturally use these common verbs. The episode highlights the importance of expressing how we experience the world accurately, focusing on "connection, not perfection."
“Fluency isn’t about perfection. It’s about flow.” — Aubrey (00:56)
At times, "see" and "watch" can be used almost interchangeably, especially regarding movies, plays, or sports—primarily denoting whether you merely attended/experienced ("see") or actively paid attention ("watch").
“Use what you’ve just learned…and you’ll see it’s immediately useful and you can apply it to your own life right away.” — Lindsay (20:42)