Ver o Mirar?
I'm trying to say "I'm watching Pretty in Pink".
I thought it would be ...
Yo estoy mirando Pretty in Pink. but, I looked it up on the translater and it said
Yo estoy viendo Pretty in Pink.
Is either verb correct, or is ver the more common way to express watching a movie?
5 Answers
I think that ver is the verb to use with watching movies. Mirar means more of "to look at" rather than "to watch."
Hi Nathan, unless you wanted to say: I am looking at the television set. this is not correct.
It may be that I was taught this incorrectly, but I remember being taught to ask the question, "Do you want to watch television?- ¿Quieres mirar la televisión? Is this incorrect? A similar expressions is also used in Spanish textbook that I own; meanwhile, another textbook that I own uses a verb form of ver to say "He was watching the television-Veía televisión, and I was wondering about the discrepancy. Is this a nuance of the Spanish that is spoken in Spain (as opposed to which verb might be used in America) or is it just an error in my textbook.
Curiously enough, the same textbook seems to be somewhat inconsistent in that it teaches the use of mirar for television but uses the verb ver to describe watching a movie-¿Quieres ver una pelicula?
I learned "mirar" for television in my books, too! However, I've been corrected by both Mexican and Colombian people to say "Ver la televisión ."
Also, in this dictionary it says:
televisión (f)
- to watch television -> ver la televisión
Copyright © 2006 Chambers Harrap Publishers Limited
Ver - To see
Mirar - To watch, to look at
Vi una pelicula - I saw a movie
Estoy mirando el televisor - I am watching television
¿Por qué me miras? - Why are you looking at me?
Estoy mirando el televisor - I am watching television
Hi Nathan, unless you wanted to say: I am looking at the television set. this is not correct.
Estoy viendo la tele (televisión).
Ver una peli, ver la tele 
