# Thấy / nghe thấy: perceive in Vietnamese (A2)

> English splits "look" from "see" and "listen" from "hear". Vietnamese adds thấy to the action to get the result: nhìn is "look", nhìn thấy is "see"; nghe…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/thay-sense-result/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**perceive**

Pattern: `nhìn / nghe / ngửi / sờ + thấy (+ [object])`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: thay, nghe thay

English splits "look" from "see" and "listen" from "hear". Vietnamese adds *thấy* to the action to get the result: *nhìn* is "look", *nhìn thấy* is "see"; *nghe* is "listen", *nghe thấy* is "hear". *Thấy* means you actually caught it.

So you can look without seeing: *Em nhìn hoài mà không thấy.* I keep looking but I can't see it (in Hà Nội, *mãi*). *Tìm* (look for) works the same way, and *tìm thấy* is "find": *Em tìm thấy chìa khóa rồi!* I've found the keys!

The other senses follow: *ngửi thấy* (smell), *sờ thấy* (feel with your hand): *Anh có ngửi thấy mùi gì không?* Can you smell something?

In everyday speech, *thấy* on its own often does the whole job: *Hôm qua em thấy anh ấy ở chợ.* I saw him at the market yesterday. *Thấy* also means "feel" or "find": *Em thấy mệt* (I feel tired), *Em thấy phim này hay* (I think this film is good).

*Nghe nói* is different again: it passes on news you've heard from other people.

## A common mistake

✗ Ngồi xa quá, em không nhìn bảng.

✓ Ngồi xa quá, em không nhìn thấy bảng.

*Nhìn* is only "look". To say you can't see something, add *thấy*.

## Examples

- Saigon: Em nhìn hoài mà không thấy. | Hà Nội: Em nhìn mãi mà không thấy. — I keep looking but I can't see it.
- Em tìm thấy chìa khóa rồi! — I've found the keys!
- Anh có ngửi thấy mùi gì không? — Can you smell something?
- Anh có nghe thấy gì không? — Can you hear anything?

## Words in this pattern

- [thấy](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/thay-see/#s_thay_see): see

## Compare

- [I heard that: nghe nói](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nghe-noi-hearsay/): I've heard that
- [Figuring out, realising: verb + ra (nhận ra, nghĩ ra, tìm ra)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/ra-discover/): realise, come up with, find out
- [I find, I feel: thấy + adjective or sentence](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/thay-feel-find/): feel; find (in my view)

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Passive for good things: được + (doer) + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-passive/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Telling, making, asking someone to: kêu / bảo, bắt, nhờ + person + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/causative-bao-bat/)

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