Inspecting V and Understanding Ving - The most accurate structure of see in English

1. What is See?

In English, see means to look or watch.

The word 'see' is used to express the act of observing or perceiving through sight. It can refer to witnessing objects, people, events, or describing someone's visual ability. 

For example:

• I see a beautiful rainbow in the sky. (Tôi thấy một cầu vồng đẹp trên bầu trời.)
• Can you see the Eiffel Tower from here? (Bạn có thể nhìn thấy tháp Eiffel từ đây không?)
• She has perfect vision and can see even the smallest details. (Cô ấy có thị lực hoàn hảo và có thể nhìn thấy cả chi tiết nhỏ nhất.)

2. What does See off mean?

See off: to bid farewell or accompany someone

The phrase See off is used to refer to accompanying someone to another place (such as the airport, train station, bus station, etc.)

For example:

• My family gathered at the train station to see me off as I left for college.
• They invited us to their house and saw us off with a warm farewell after the party.
• As he prepared to sail around the world, his friends and family came to the dock to see him off on his adventure.

3. Structure of see in English

Cấu trúc: See sb do – Sử dụng khi người nói chỉ chứng kiến một phần của hành động.

For example:

• I saw her walk into the room and then she disappeared. (Tôi thấy cô ấy đi vào phòng rồi cô ấy biến mất.)
• He saw his friend buy a new car, but he didn’t see which model it was. (Anh ấy thấy người bạn mua chiếc xe mới, nhưng anh ấy không thấy đó là mẫu xe nào.)
• We saw the kids play in the park for a little while before we had to leave. (Chúng tôi thấy trẻ con chơi ở công viên một lúc trước khi chúng tôi phải ra về.)

Cấu trúc: See sb doing –  Sử dụng khi người nói chứng kiến toàn bộ hành động.

For instance:

4. See to V or Ving

According to the structure above, we see that see followed by Ving is used to describe someone witnessing the entire action. 

For example:

• I saw her dancing at the party. (Tôi thấy cô ấy đang nhảy múa tại buổi tiệc.)
• They saw the children playing in the park. (Họ thấy trẻ em đang chơi ở công viên.)

5. Distinguishing see look watch and view

See, look, watch, and view are all used to refer to the act of seeing or observing, but they differ in usage:

Look is often used when you are trying to focus on seeing something or when you want to inspect or carefully observe something.

For example: I’m going to examine the painting closely to observe the details.

See is often used when you perceive an event, person, or object whether you intend to look or not. It can happen naturally or accidentally.

For example: I notice a beautiful bird in the tree.

Watch is typically used when you spend time observing an event or action, usually with the intention of focusing.

For example: Let’s view the movie tonight.

View is commonly used to describe the act of watching something with a specific purpose or in a formal manner, often in artistic or professional contexts.

For example: We can observe the exhibition at the art gallery.

6. Conjugation of the verb see

6.1. According to the form

To_V (Infinitive with 'to'): to observe

Eg: I wish to observe that film tonight. (Tôi muốn xem bộ phim đó tối nay.)

Bare_V (Infinitive): Observe

Eg: Observe the stunning sunset over the sea. (Hãy nhìn thấy bình minh tuyệt đẹp trên biển.)

Gerund (Danh từ động từ): Observing

Eg: Observing is believing. (Thấy mới tin.)

Past Participle (Quá khứ phân từ): Seen

Eg: I have observed that artwork before. (Tôi đã thấy tác phẩm nghệ thuật đó trước đây.)

6.2. According to tense

6.3. According to other sentence structures

7. Structure of other sensory verbs

Hear/ smell/ feel/ notice/ watch + object + V-ing: Used to describe the observer witnessing the entire action.

Eg:

• I heard her singing a beautiful song in the living room. (Tôi nghe thấy cô ấy đang hát một bài hát đẹp ở phòng khách.)
• I smelled the delicious aroma of fresh-baked bread in the kitchen. (Tôi ngửi thấy mùi thơm ngon của bánh mì vừa nướng ở nhà bếp.)
• I felt the warm sand under my feet as I walked on the beach. (Tôi cảm nhận thấy cát ấm áp dưới chân khi đi bộ trên bãi biển.)

Hear/ smell/ feel/ notice/ watch + object + V-inf: Used to describe the observer witnessing part of the action.

Eg:

• I heard her sing a few lines of the song before she stopped. (Tôi nghe thấy cô ấy hát vài dòng của bài hát trước khi cô dừng lại.)
• I smelled the cookies baking in the oven before they were done. (Tôi ngửi thấy bánh quy đang nướng trong lò trước khi chúng được làm xong.)
• I noticed him read the first chapter of the book before putting it down. (Tôi chú ý thấy anh ta đọc chương đầu tiên của cuốn sách trước khi anh ta đặt nó xuống.)

8. Some idioms with see

See eye to eye: Agree or have the same opinion with someone.

Eg: They seldom agree on political issues.

See the light: Understand, realize the truth, or solve a problem after a difficult time.

Eg: After extensive research, I finally saw the light and grasped the problem.

See through someone: Understand someone clearly, especially to detect when they are trying to deceive or are not sincere.

Eg: I can see through his lies; he’s not truthful.

See the broader picture: Perceive and understand the overall context or larger perspective.

Eg: It’s crucial to see the broader picture when making long-term decisions.

Wait to observe: Hold off to observe how the situation develops before deciding or taking action.

Eg: We’ll need to wait to observe how the situation unfolds before making any decisions.

View the situation positively (or negatively): Approach the situation or problem with a positive (or negative) outlook.

Eg: He tends to perceive the glass as half empty and is consistently pessimistic.

Understand the big picture: Comprehend the comprehensive aspects or larger perspective instead of focusing on specific details.

Eg: She’s so absorbed in minor details that she misses the bigger picture.

See red: Feel extremely angry or enraged.

Eg: Upon hearing the news, he saw red and began shouting.