Seeing, hearing (the result): nhìn thấy, nghe thấy

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.