Vidi: To See | Esperanto Grammar

Vidi is the regular transitive verb for visual perception: “see,” “notice visually,” and in some contexts “realize.” It can take a direct object, an object plus an infinitive describing what that object does, or a ke-clause expressing a proposition that becomes evident. English speakers must especially distinguish effortless vidi from deliberate rigardi “look at/watch.”

Complete regular paradigm

Form	Function	Typical translation
vidi	infinitive	to see
vidas	present indicative	see(s), can see
vidis	past indicative	saw
vidos	future indicative	will see
vidus	conditional	would see
vidu	volitive	see!, look!, consider!

De ĉi tiu fenestro mi vidas la tutan havenon.

From this window I can see the whole harbor.

Ĉu vi vidis miajn okulvitrojn ie?

Have you seen my glasses anywhere?

The verb form never changes with person or number: mi vidas, ŝi vidas, ili vidas. English often uses “can see” for present perception, but neutral Esperanto usually needs only vidas. Add povas only when ability or circumstances are genuinely at issue.

Sen miaj okulvitroj mi ne povas vidi la etajn literojn.

Without my glasses I can't see the small letters.

Here povas vidi matters because the sentence denies visual ability, not merely the presence of a perceived object.

Direct perception takes an accusative object

The person or thing perceived is the direct object and normally takes -n.

Ni vidis vulpon apud la vojo dum la veturo hejmen.

We saw a fox beside the road during the drive home.

Mi ne vidas diferencon inter la du versioj.

I don't see a difference between the two versions.

The object need not be concrete. Vidi diferencon, vidi problemon, vidi eblon, and vidi kialon extend visual perception toward recognition or understanding. When mental understanding rather than evidence or recognition is central, kompreni is often more precise.

Nun mi vidas la problemon, sed mi ankoraŭ ne komprenas kiel solvi ĝin.

Now I see the problem, but I still don't understand how to solve it.

Vidi iun needs no preposition. English speakers influenced by “look at” sometimes insert al or je, but the transitive frame is direct: vidi ŝin, vidi la monton, vidi ion.

💡

Ask whether the eyes simply receive the image (vidi) or the person directs attention toward it (rigardi). Only the second normally means “look at/watch.”

Vidi versus rigardi

Vidi describes successful perception; rigardi describes the deliberate act of directing one's eyes, whether or not the viewer notices every detail.

Mi rigardis tra la fenestro kaj vidis, ke neĝis.

I looked through the window and saw that it was snowing.

Rigardu tiun birdon! Ĉu vi vidas la ruĝan makulon sur ĝia kapo?

Look at that bird! Can you see the red patch on its head?

The first verb names the intentional looking; the second names the resulting perception. For sustained entertainment, usage varies with the object: people commonly rigardas televidon aŭ filmon, while spekti is also natural for watching a performance, match, or spectacle. Vidi filmon can mean see/watch a film as an experienced event, especially when discussing whether one has seen it.

— Ĉu vi jam vidis tiun filmon? — Ne, sed ni rigardos ĝin ĉi-vespere.

— Have you seen that film yet? — No, but we'll watch it this evening.

This contrast is a matter of lexical viewpoint, not tense.

Ekvidi: the moment perception begins

The productive prefix ek- marks onset. Ekvidi means catch sight of, suddenly notice, or first become able to see—not simply “see” with extra emphasis.

Kiam la nebulo leviĝis, ni ekvidis la montopinton.

When the fog lifted, we caught sight of the mountain peak.

Mi jam estis ĉe la pordo, kiam mi subite ekvidis la ŝlosilojn sur la tablo.

I was already at the door when I suddenly spotted the keys on the table.

The simple vidis would report perception without profiling its beginning. Ekvidis makes the transition from not seeing to seeing part of the event.

Seeing someone do something

After a perception object, an infinitive can describe the action that the object performs. The object of vidi is the understood subject of the infinitive.

Mi vidis la infanojn transiri la straton ĉe la semaforo.

I saw the children cross the street at the traffic light.

La infanojn takes accusative because it is the object of vidis. Semantically, those same children perform transiri. The object of transiri is la straton, also accusative; the two endings reflect two different verb relationships.

Ŝi vidis sian najbaron eniri la malĝustan aŭton.

She saw her neighbor get into the wrong car.

This object-plus-infinitive pattern is standard with observation verbs such as vidi, aŭdi, and senti. The infinitive has no independent tense; the time relation comes from vidis and context.

See Subject Control with Infinitives for how observation verbs differ from ordinary same-subject infinitive chains.

Compare it with a full clause:

Mi vidis, ke la infanoj transiris la straton sen atendi la verdan lumon.

I saw/realized that the children crossed the street without waiting for the green light.

The ke-clause presents a complete proposition. It can report direct observation, a conclusion drawn from evidence, or later realization. The object-plus-infinitive compactly presents a participant and the perceived action.

Vidi, ke... and tense

The verb inside a ke-clause uses the tense appropriate to the proposition. Esperanto does not automatically backshift merely because vidis is past.

Mi vidis, ke la pordo estas malfermita.

I saw that the door is open (it is presented as still open).

Mi vidis, ke la pordo estis malfermita.

I saw that the door was open (the state is presented as past).

This difference can matter. English often uses “was” after a past reporting or perception verb even when the state continues; Esperanto's estas/estis choice directly locates the state.

The clause is a factual perception or conclusion, so it normally uses an indicative form. -u would introduce will, command, or purpose rather than ordinary seeing.

Object-state complements

Vidi can link its object to a description of the state in which it is perceived. The adjective agrees in number but does not take accusative -n.

Mi neniam antaŭe vidis la placon tiel plena.

I had never before seen the square so full.

Post la bonaj novaĵoj ni vidis ĉiujn multe pli trankvilaj.

After the good news, we saw everyone much calmer.

In vidis la placon plena, la placon is the object and plena describes its perceived state. La plenan placon would instead mean “the full square” as one object phrase.

Participles and passive voice

As a transitive verb, vidi has active and passive participles.

Time relation	Active	Passive
ongoing	vidanta — seeing	vidata — being seen
earlier/completed	vidinta — having seen	vidita — seen
later/intended	vidonta — about to see	vidota — to be seen

La kometo estas videbla nur frumatene kaj malofte estas vidata sen binoklo.

The comet is visible only in the early morning and is rarely seen without binoculars.

Vidata presents an ongoing or repeated perception, while vidita presents an earlier completed one. In most active sentences, simple vidis is preferable to a heavy estis vidinta unless relative completion is the focus.

Productive family and common expressions

revidi — see again; ĝis revido — see you again/goodbye
antaŭvidi — foresee; antaŭvidebla — predictable
vidiĝi — be visible, appear to sight
vidigi — make visible, show
videbla / nevidebla — visible / invisible
vido — sight, view; vidpunkto — point of view

De la balkono vidiĝas la rivero, sed la malnova ponto estas apenaŭ videbla pro la nebulo.

The river is visible from the balcony, but the old bridge is barely visible because of the fog.

Mi ĝojas revidi vin post tiom da jaroj.

I'm glad to see you again after so many years.

These derivatives are regular and common. Montri remains the general transitive verb “show”; vidigi specifically means cause something to become visible and is useful when that causative relation matters.

English expressions that need another verb

English “see” extends into appointments, relationships, understanding, and responsibility. Esperanto chooses by meaning: iri al/viziti kuraciston for “see a doctor,” renkontiĝi kun iu for meet someone, kompreni for “I see” meaning understand, and zorgi, ke... for “see to it that...”. Literal vidi is appropriate only when visual perception or recognition is part of the intended meaning.

Register and frequency

Vidi is extremely frequent and neutral in every register. Figurative recognition with Mi vidas, ke... is also ordinary. Specialized derivatives such as antaŭvidi and vidpunkto are common in (formal), academic, and journalistic prose without sounding marked.

💡

Use ekvidi when the onset matters, revidi for seeing again, and vidi, ke... for a whole perceived or inferred proposition.

Common Mistakes

Omitting accusative on the perception object

❌ Mi vidis interesa birdo apud la rivero.

Incorrect — the thing seen is a direct object.

✅ Mi vidis interesan birdon apud la rivero.

I saw an interesting bird beside the river.

Adding a preposition before the object

❌ Ĉu vi vidis al mia mesaĝo?

Incorrect — vidi takes a direct object, not an al-complement.

✅ Ĉu vi vidis mian mesaĝon?

Did you see my message?

Using vidi for deliberate looking

❌ Vidu al la ekrano dum mi klarigas la diagramon.

Incorrect — deliberate direction of the eyes requires rigardi, and vidi does not take al.

✅ Rigardu la ekranon dum mi klarigas la diagramon.

Look at the screen while I explain the diagram.

Failing to mark the infinitive's performer as an object

❌ Mi vidis ŝi eniri la konstruaĵon.

Incorrect — ŝi is the object of vidis and must become ŝin.

✅ Mi vidis ŝin eniri la konstruaĵon.

I saw her enter the building.

Copying the English progressive

❌ Mi estas vidas la montojn de ĉi tie.

Incorrect — esti cannot be added before a finite lexical verb as an English-style progressive auxiliary.

✅ Mi vidas la montojn de ĉi tie.

I can see the mountains from here.

Key Takeaways

Vidi is a regular transitive verb; the perceived entity takes accusative -n without a preposition.
Rigardi names deliberate looking, while vidi names successful perception or recognition.
In vidi iun fari, the object of vidi is the understood subject of the infinitive.
Ekvidi profiles the onset of perception, and vidi, ke... presents a complete perceived or inferred proposition.

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