Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| смотре́ть | smotrétʹ | imperfective |
| посмотре́ть | posmotrétʹ | perfective |
| гляде́ть | gljadétʹ | imperfective |
| погляде́ть | pogljadétʹ | perfective |
The primary meaning is to try to see. You can also use related forms like the interjection смотри́ or смотри́те to attract attention, or the noun взгляд to refer to the action of looking.
Which one should you use?
The imperfective verb смотре́ть is used for the ongoing process of looking or for habitual actions. In contrast, the perfective form посмотре́ть is used for a completed action, such as taking a single look or looking for a specific duration. You might also see гляде́ть, which is an imperfective verb that often carries a connotation of staring or looking fixedly and is more colloquial than смотре́ть. Its perfective counterpart is погляде́ть.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When looking at an object, both смотре́ть and гляде́ть require the preposition на followed by the accusative case. The perfective form посмотре́ть на is frequently used when requesting that someone "take a look" at something specific.
How do you pronounce it?
smotrétʹ
Did you know?
- While смотре́ть means to look, the related verb вы́глядеть describes how someone 'looks' in terms of appearance, such as 'you look great'.
- In Russian, the word for 'look' or 'view' смотр is the root of the word смотри́тель, which refers to a curator or a caretaker of a museum.
- The command смотри́ can be used as a warning similar to 'watch out' or 'be careful' in English.
Examples in context
- Посмотрите на эту презентациюLook at this presentation
- Смотри, какой красивый закат!Look, what a beautiful sunset!
- Глянь, какие красивые серьги!Take a look, what beautiful earrings!
- Я хочу смотре́ть на звёзды.Ya khochu smotret' na zvyo-zdy.I want to look at the stars.
Example conversation
Anastasia and Sergey are in a park.
- Анастасия AnastasiaСергей, посмотри на то дерево!Sergey, posmotri na to derevo!Sergey, look at that tree!
- Сергей SergeyЗачем мне на него смотре́ть?Zachem mne na nego smotret'?Why should I look at it?
- Анастасия AnastasiaТам сидит очень красивая птица.Tam sidit ochen' krasivaya ptitsa.There is a very beautiful bird sitting there.
- Сергей SergeyОго, действительно очень красивая!Ogo, deystvitel'no ochen' krasivaya!Wow, it really is very beautiful!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “look” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
