to look at / to watch
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to look at / watch
To deliberately direct one's gaze at someone or something and observe it. It can mean both a quick look and a longer period of looking, as with a film or a picture.
Wollen wir uns heute Abend einen Film anschauen?
Do we want to watch a film tonight?
'Anschauen' (to look at/watch) is a separable verb. The prefix 'an-' stands at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and infinitive constructions, the verb remains together.
Ich schaue mir die Fotos von unserem Urlaub an.
I am looking at the photos from our vacation.
The verb is based on 'schauen' (to look). The prefix 'an-' directs the gaze specifically toward an object and implies a conscious, focused action.
Schau mich an, wenn ich mit dir rede!
Look at me when I'm talking to you!
The structure 'sich (Dativ) etwas (Akkusativ) anschauen' (to look at something for oneself) is very common. The dative pronoun (mir, dir, sich) emphasizes that the person is doing the viewing for themselves, out of their own interest.
Wir schauen uns morgen ein neues Haus an.
We are going to look at a new house tomorrow.
In the meaning 'to view' or 'to inspect', it is often combined with things one visits or checks before buying: 'sich eine Wohnung anschauen' (to look at an apartment), 'sich eine Stadt anschauen' (to see/look around a city), 'sich ein Auto anschauen' (to look at a car).
Bevor wir die Wohnung mieten, wollen wir sie uns genau anschauen.
Before we rent the apartment, we want to take a close look at it.
to see
'sehen' and 'anschauen' both have to do with perception through the eyes. 'sehen' is more general and can also happen unintentionally: you simply see something. 'anschauen' more strongly means that you look deliberately or want to get an impression of something. You can also use it for a film, an apartment, or a problem: 'sich einen Film anschauen', 'sich eine Wohnung anschauen', or 'sich ein Problem anschauen' (to watch a film, look at an apartment, or take a look at a problem). With films, 'einen Film sehen' and 'sich einen Film anschauen' are very similar, but 'anschauen' sounds a bit more purposeful. Learners confuse the words because both can often be used with the same objects. 'sehen' describes perception more, while 'anschauen' describes the deliberate action more.
Am Wochenende schauen wir uns das neue Restaurant in der Innenstadt an.
At the weekend, we're going to check out the new restaurant in the city center.
Am Bahnhof sieht sie den Zug schon auf Gleis drei.
At the station, she can already see the train on platform three.