to look / watch
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to look
To direct the eyes at something in order to perceive it; to gaze. It is often used synonymously with 'sehen' (to see) or 'gucken' (to look), especially in southern Germany and Austria.
Schau mal, ein Regenbogen am Himmel!
Look, a rainbow in the sky!
to watch
To watch something that moves or lasts for a certain amount of time, such as a film, a TV show, or a sporting event.
Wollen wir heute Abend einen Film schauen?
Do we want to watch a film tonight?
to make sure
To make sure or see to it that a certain thing happens or a certain state is reached.
Kannst du bitte schauen, dass die Tür abgeschlossen ist?
Can you please make sure that the door is locked?
we'll see
A colloquial expression used to say that you want to wait and see how something develops, or that you are still undecided.
„Kommst du morgen zur Party?“ – „Mal schauen, ich weiß es noch nicht genau.“
'Are you coming to the party tomorrow?' – 'We'll see, I'm not quite sure yet.'
to look
To have a certain facial expression.
Warum schaust du so traurig?
Why do you look so sad?
The verb 'schauen' (to look) is understood throughout the German-speaking world, but it is much more common in everyday language in southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland than in northern Germany.
Wir schauen oft am Wochenende bei unseren Großeltern vorbei.
We often stop by our grandparents' place on the weekend.
'Schauen' is often combined with prepositions that indicate a direction. Common examples are 'auf etwas schauen' (to look at something, accusative), 'in den Spiegel schauen' (to look in the mirror, accusative), or 'aus dem Fenster schauen' (to look out of the window, dative).
Er schaute lange auf das alte Foto.
He looked at the old photo for a long time.
The construction 'schauen, dass ...' (to make sure that ...) introduces a subordinate clause. The verb of the subordinate clause comes at the end. It expresses that someone should take care of something or make sure of something.
Schau bitte, dass du den Zug nicht verpasst.
Please make sure you don't miss the train.
'Mal schauen' (we'll see) is a very common colloquial expression. It expresses indecision or waiting to see what happens and can stand alone or introduce a subordinate clause.
„Gehen wir heute Abend ins Kino?“ – „Mal schauen, vielleicht.“
'Are we going to the movies tonight?' – 'We'll see, maybe.'
In the meaning 'sich etwas ansehen' (to watch something), 'schauen' is almost always combined with media content. Typical phrases are 'einen Film schauen' (to watch a film), 'eine Serie schauen' (to watch a series), or 'Fernsehen schauen' (to watch TV).
Am Sonntag schauen wir immer zusammen die Sportschau.
On Sundays, we always watch the sports show together.
To describe a facial expression, 'schauen' is combined with an adjective or adverb. Examples are 'glücklich schauen' (to look happy), 'skeptisch schauen' (to look skeptical), or 'überrascht schauen' (to look surprised).
Als er das Geschenk sah, schaute er ganz überrascht.
When he saw the gift, he looked completely surprised.
to see
For films, sehen and schauen refer to the same deliberate activity. Sehen is a neutral standard-language choice. Schauen is also common and is used especially often in southern Germany and Austria; here, the choice does not change what you are doing.
In Wien sagt Lea, dass wir heute Abend den neuen Film schauen.
In Vienna, Lea says that we are watching the new film tonight.
In der Ankündigung steht, dass wir heute Abend den neuen Film sehen.
The announcement says that we are watching the new film tonight.
