see somebody do / see somebody doing
see / hear / watch + bare infinitive (whole action) vs + -ing (action in progress).
A — Sample sentences
Words like journey, delay, boarding pass, passport control, and missed connection.
1) see / hear / watch + bare infinitive — complete action
You perceived the whole event from start to finish.
- I saw the passenger drop his boarding pass at security.
- We heard the announcement cancel our flight.
- She watched the taxi leave without her.
- They saw the customs officer check every bag.
2) see / hear / watch + verb-ing — action in progress
You caught someone in the middle of doing something.
- I saw passengers waiting in the departure lounge for hours.
- We heard someone complaining about the delay.
- She watched tourists taking photos at passport control.
- They saw staff loading luggage onto the plane.
3) Passive: seen/heard + to + infinitive or verb-ing
He was seen to leave / leaving the airport.
- The suspect was seen to board the international flight.
- A passenger was heard shouting about a missed connection.
- The guide was seen showing tourists the gate number.
- Travellers were heard discussing the traffic jam on the way to the airport.
The rest of this lesson is in the General English course:
- B — Quick reference
Try it: Bare infinitive or -ing?
Choose the best form.
- I saw her ___ her passport at the desk.
(a) show (b) showing (c) to show - We heard passengers ___ about the cancellation.
(a) protest (b) protesting (c) to protest - She watched the plane ___ off on time.
(a) take (b) taking (c) to take - They saw tourists ___ in a long queue at security.
(a) stand (b) standing (c) to stand
Check your answers in the course — it marks them instantly. This is one of the unit's 4 exercises; the other 3 are in the General English course too.
Practise this unit in the course →