Angucken

Angucken is a colloquial German verb meaning to look at, to watch, or to view something. It is a separable verb formed from an- and gucken, with usage close to the standardsehen/anschauen but more informal. The sense can range from a quick glance to a more attentive look, depending on context.

Usage and patterns

In the present tense, the prefix is placed at the end of the clause in informal speech: Ich gucke mir das an. Du guckst dir das an. Er schaut sich das an. The reflexive pattern sich etwas ansehen is also common: Ich sehe mir den Film an. The form mirrors other separable verbs where the prefix travels to the sentence's end.

Perfect and past tenses

For the perfect, speakers often use angeguckt or angeguckt with haben, or may prefer angesehen in the sense of ansehen/anschauen. Common examples: Ich habe mir das angeguckt. Ich habe mir den Film angesehen. The simple past (Präteritum) is: Ich guckte mir das an. Er sah sich das an. Regional preferences vary, and some speakers opt for geguckt/angesehen forms in speech.

Usage notes

Angucken is widely understood in everyday speech and is generally more informal than ansehen or anschauen. In formal writing or careful speech, aussehen/ansehen is typically preferred. The basic idea is to direct attention to something, whether briefly or thoroughly, by looking or watching. Etymology traces the verb to the prefixed form an- with gucken, signaling the action of turning attention toward something.