to view
Loading your saved state.
to view
To make a deliberate visit to something (e.g., a sight, an apartment, a museum) in order to look at it closely and inspect it.
Bevor wir die Wohnung mieten, möchten wir sie besichtigen.
Before we rent the apartment, we would like to view it.
'Besichtigen' (to view) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'be-' is firmly attached to the stem and is not separated.
Wir haben gestern den ganzen Tag die Altstadt besichtigt.
Yesterday we spent the whole day viewing the old town.
You 'besichtigt' (view) places or buildings that you want to look at closely. Typical objects are: an apartment, a house, a sight, a castle, a museum, or a factory.
Morgen besichtigen wir das Schloss Neuschwanstein.
Tomorrow we are viewing Neuschwanstein Castle.
The verb 'besichtigen' (to view) always needs an accusative object. It describes a planned and detailed inspection, not just seeing something by chance.
Haben Sie die Wohnung schon besichtigt?
Have you already viewed the apartment?
to look at / to watch
'sich etwas ansehen' and 'besichtigen' can both mean that you visit a place and look at it more closely. 'sich etwas ansehen' is very general and common in everyday language. You can use it for looking at an apartment, a city, or a museum. 'besichtigen' sounds more deliberate and a little more official. It fits especially well with sights, buildings, museums, or apartments when you want to inspect them consciously or get to know them. The words are easy to confuse because they are similar in many travel situations. In everyday speech, 'sich ansehen' is often more natural; for planned visits, 'besichtigen' sounds more precise.
Am Samstag besichtigen wir eine Wohnung, die vielleicht zu unserer Familie passt.
On Saturday we are viewing an apartment that might suit our family.
In der neuen Nachbarschaft habe ich mir zuerst den kleinen Park angesehen.
In the new neighborhood, I first had a look at the small park.