Гледати describes directing one's eyes or attention: look at, watch, or view. Perfective погледати packages one look, one check, or—in suitable contexts—one bounded viewing. Neither should be confused with видети, which describes visual perception or noticing rather than the deliberate activity of looking.
Principal forms
| Form | гледати (imperfective) | погледати (perfective) | видети (context-sensitive) |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | гледам, гледаш, гледа, гледамо, гледате, гледају | погледам, погледаш, погледа, погледамо, погледате, погледају | видим, видиш, види, видимо, видите, виде |
| l-participle | гледао / гледала | погледао / погледала | видео / видела |
| imperative | гледај, гледајмо, гледајте | погледај, погледајмо, погледајте | види, видимо, видите |
| future, 1st singular | гледаћу | погледаћу | видећу |
The Ekavian masculine form is видео, while the feminine is видела. Standard Ijekavian Serbian uses видио / видјела; do not mix those reflexes inside one ordinary example. The present third-person plural is виде, not видеју.
Гледамо утакмицу код пријатеља јер је његов екран већи.
We're watching the match at a friend's place because his screen is bigger.
Погледај поруку коју сам ти управо послала.
Look at the message I just sent you. (female speaker)
Са прозора видим цео трг и улаз у станицу.
From the window I can see the whole square and the station entrance.
These are respectively an ongoing intentional activity, one requested look, and available visual perception.
Looking and watching take a direct object
The person, screen content, performance, or object watched normally appears in the accusative with no equivalent of English at.
Деца гледају цртани филм док родитељи спремају вечеру.
The children are watching a cartoon while their parents prepare dinner.
Зашто ме тако гледаш?
Why are you looking at me like that?
The accusative clitic ме corresponds to English at me. Adding a Serbian preposition simply because English has at produces the wrong basic frame.
Гледати у + accusative is possible, but it foregrounds the direction or fixed target of the gaze: гледати у екран, у очи, у даљину. It is not required for every “look at.”
Гледала је у телефон и није приметила да је аутобус стигао.
She was staring at her phone and didn't notice that the bus had arrived.
Погледао ме је право у очи и извинио се.
He looked me straight in the eyes and apologized.
The second sentence has both accusative person ме and directional phrase у очи. The roles are different.
Activity, bounded look, and completed viewing
Imperfective гледати opens the activity or presents it as habitual. Perfective погледати often means take one look, check, or view something as one bounded occasion.
Сваке вечери гледам једну епизоду пре спавања.
Every evening I watch one episode before bed.
Погледаћу распоред чим стигнем до рачунара.
I'll check the schedule as soon as I get to the computer.
For explicitly watching something through to the end, одгледати is often more precise. Прегледати means inspect, review, or examine, while разгледати means look around or view a set of things.
Одгледали смо филм до краја иако је трајао скоро три сата.
We watched the film all the way through even though it lasted almost three hours.
Лекарка је прегледала снимке пре разговора с пацијентом.
The doctor examined the scans before speaking with the patient.
После ручка смо разгледали старо градско језгро.
After lunch we looked around the old town center.
These prefixes alter the lexical result. They should not be filed as several arbitrary perfectives meaning exactly the same thing. The aspectual-network guide gives a broader method for separating viewpoint from lexical meaning.
Гледати versus видети
Гледати is controlled attention; видети is perception, recognition, or the availability of a visual object. Looking does not guarantee seeing or noticing.
Гледао сам право у таблу, али нисам видео ситна слова.
I was looking straight at the board, but I couldn't see the small letters. (male speaker)
Тек кад сам упалила светло, видела сам кључеве испод стола.
Only when I turned on the light did I see the keys under the table. (female speaker)
In its core perception meanings, видети is context-sensitive. Видим планине is a continuing perceptual state; видела сам кључеве can present one achieved perception. It is therefore not simply “the perfective of гледати.”
Видети се commonly means see/meet one another or be visible.
Нисмо се видели од прошлог лета, па смо се договорили да се нађемо на кафи у суботу.
We haven't seen each other since last summer, so we arranged to meet for coffee on Saturday.
Reflexive гледати се
With an animate subject, гледати се can be truly reflexive or reciprocal: look at oneself or at one another. Context or an added phrase clarifies the reading.
Погледала се у огледало пре него што је изашла.
She looked at herself in the mirror before going out.
Њих двоје су се кратко гледали, али нико није проговорио.
The two of them looked at each other briefly, but neither spoke.
With an inanimate subject, се may form a passive-like construction.
Та серија се лако гледа, али се радња брзо заборави.
That series is easy to watch, but its plot is quickly forgotten.
Do not add се to ordinary гледам филм. Each reflexive reading contributes something specific.
Clitics, commands, and the lexical extension гледати да
Direct-object clitics take the normal second-position position.
Фотографије сам погледала, али их још нисам послала породици.
I looked through the photos, but I haven't sent them to my family yet. (female speaker)
Гледај! can mean “look!” or “watch out/pay attention,” whereas погледај! asks for one look or check. The expression гледати да + present means try or make sure to do something; it is no longer literal visual perception.
Гледај да стигнеш пре затварања поште.
Try to get there before the post office closes. (informal)
This construction is common in speech. It should not be analyzed as an object clause describing something seen.
Micro-dialogue
„Шта гледаш?“ — „Стари снимак концерта. Погледај овај део.“ — „Гледам, али не видим добро јер је слика мутна.“
‘What are you watching?’ — ‘An old concert recording. Look at this part.’ — ‘I'm looking, but I can't see well because the picture is blurry.’
The exchange contrasts ongoing viewing гледаш, one directed look погледај, and unsuccessful perception не видим.
Practice Tasks
Task 1: Intention or perception?
Translate “I was looking at the platform, but I didn't see Ana.” Use гледати for deliberate gaze and видети for perception. Then replace Ana with an accusative clitic.
Task 2: Pick the result
Use погледати for checking one message, одгледати for finishing a film, прегледати for examining documents, and разгледати for looking around a museum.
Common Mistakes
❌ Сваке суботе гледамо на нову епизоду.
Incorrect — watching content normally takes a direct accusative object, with no на.
✅ Сваке суботе гледамо нову епизоду.
Every Saturday we watch a new episode.
❌ Сада погледам пренос утакмице.
Incorrect for an activity in progress — perfective погледам does not normally describe ongoing present viewing.
✅ Сада гледам пренос утакмице.
I'm watching the match broadcast now.
❌ Видео сам у њега испред станице.
Incorrect for simply seeing a person — видети takes a direct accusative object.
✅ Видео сам га испред станице.
I saw him in front of the station. (male speaker)
❌ Гледала сам се филм до поноћи.
Incorrect — ordinary гледати a film is not reflexive.
✅ Гледала сам филм до поноћи.
I watched a film until midnight. (female speaker)
❌ Он виде ситна слова без наочара.
Incorrect — third-person singular present is види; виде is third-person plural.
✅ Он види ситна слова и без наочара.
He can see the small letters even without glasses.
Key Takeaways
- Гледати is deliberate looking or watching; видети is visual perception.
- The ordinary viewed object is accusative without a preposition; у + accusative highlights the direction or fixed target of a gaze.
- Погледати packages one look or check; одгледати, прегледати, and разгледати add distinct lexical results.
- Гледати се can be reflexive, reciprocal, or passive-like, but ordinary viewing has no се.
- Learn видети — видим — виде — видео/видела, including its context-sensitive aspectual behavior.
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Start learning Serbian →Related Topics
- Accusative: The Direct ObjectA1 — The accusative as the default object of transitive verbs.
- Aspectual Pairs versus Related VerbsB1 — A focused guide to aspectual pairs versus related verbs in Serbian.
- Present Tense: -i- VerbsA1 — The -im conjugation for many -iti and -jeti verbs.
- The Reflexive Pronoun (sebe/se)A2 — se, sebe, sebi, and the regional reflexive dative si.
- The Imperative: FormsA1 — Building commands with -j, -i, and the 1pl/2pl endings.