Verbs of Perception + Infinitive
I saw him studying in the library. He saw her crying. I hear the children playing. To express these ideas in Italian, the verb of perception is followed directly by an infinitive.
L'ho visto studiare in biblioteca. |
I saw him studying in the library. |
L'ha vista piangere. |
He saw her crying. |
Sento i bambini giocare. |
I hear the children playing. |
Object placement is similar to that of fare + infinitive and lasciare + infinitive. Noun objects must follow the infinitive.
Ho visto partire la nave. |
I saw the ship leaving. |
Ho sentito dire. |
I've heard it said. |
The Italian verb sentire means “to hear.” The expression sentir dire has a slightly different meaning. It means “to hear a rumor” or “to hear a report.”
If the infinitive has it's own object, then the word order changes slightly.
Ho sentito Lorenzo suonare il pianoforte. |
I heard Lorenzo playing the piano. |
Ho guardato il pollo attraversare la strada. |
I watched the chicken cross the road. |
