見る and 見える: looking and being visible

The idea

Mark what you look at with を: 映画を見ます. What is visible commonly takes が: 山が見えます. A topic can take は instead. 見られる, the potential of 見る, often describes an opportunity or ability to watch, as in 映画館で映画を見られます.

Examples

• 窓まどから山やまが見みえます。The mountain is visible from the window.
• 私わたしは山やまを見みます。I look at the mountain.
• ここから海うみは見みえません。The sea is not visible from here.
• 私わたしは映画えいがを見みます。I watch a film.
• その字じが見みえますか。Can you see that character?
• 暗くらくて道みちが見みえません。It is dark, so I cannot see the road.

Watch out

見える does not mean that the observer never chooses to look: it describes visibility, even after looking. It is not interchangeable with 見られる in every context.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the form for what is visible. 窓まどから山やまが＿＿。（見みえます／見みます）

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   見えます

   山が見えます describes the mountain as visible from the window.

2. Choose the form for watching a film. 私わたしは映画えいがを＿＿。（見みます／見みえます）

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   見ます

   The film is the object of watching, marked by を, so use 見ます.

3. Choose the form for being able to watch a film at the cinema. 映画館えいがかんでその映画えいがを＿＿。（見みられます／見みえます）

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   見られます

   見られます describes the opportunity to watch the film at the cinema.

Use it today

Describe something you look at and something visible from a window; say whether you can watch a film today.