When you are taking in the bustling activity of a commercial harbor, you are witnessing actions as they happen. To describe someone or something performing an action that you see, hear, or feel, French uses verbs of perception: voir (to see), entendre (to hear), and sentir (to feel or smell).
The formula is straightforward: Conjugated perception verb + Object + Infinitive
Notice a crucial difference from English: while English usually uses the "-ing" form for the witnessed action (e.g., "I see the sailor mooring the ship"), French always uses the uninflected infinitive (amarrer).
| I see the sailor mooring the ship in the harbor. | Je vois le marin amarrer le navire dans le port. |
Hearing the action
This structure works exactly the same way for sounds. Use entendre followed by the source of the noise, and then the infinitive of the action they are performing.
| I often hear the seagulls crying around the harbor. | J'entends souvent les mouettes crier autour du port. |
| While working, I hear the dockers shouting. | En travaillant, j'entends les dockers crier. |
Feeling the action
You will also use this pattern with sentir to describe physical sensations happening around you, like heavy machinery rumbling or the harbor breeze.
| They feel the ground shaking under this heavy container. | Ils sentent le sol trembler sous ce lourd conteneur. |
| I feel the cold wind blowing on the harbor. | Je sens le vent froid souffler sur le port. |
| You feel the ship moving, don't you? | Tu sens le navire bouger, n'est-ce pas ? |