guardare

Guardare is an Italian verb of the first conjugation meaning to look at, to watch, or to view. It is transitive and used with a direct object: guardare qualcosa, guardare qualcuno; common uses include guardare la televisione, guardare un film, guardare negli occhi una persona. The verb emphasizes directed attention or intentional looking, in contrast with vedere, which denotes perception or the act of seeing more generally.

Guardare is a regular -are verb. Infinitive guardare; gerund guardando; past participle guardato. In the present indicative it inflects as io guardo, tu guardi, lui/lei guarda, noi guardiamo, voi guardate, loro guardano. Other tenses follow the standard -are paradigm: ho guardato, stavo guardando, guarderò, guarderesti, guarderebbe, guarderemmo, guardereste, guarderebbero.

Reflexive and idiomatic uses include guardarsi (to look at oneself or to take care of oneself), guardarsi intorno (to look around), and guardarsi da qualcosa (to beware of something). Common expressions are guardare avanti (to look ahead), guardare indietro (to look back), and guardare qualcuno negli occhi (to look someone in the eyes). In media contexts, guardare is used for watching films, shows, or videos, e.g., guardare un film o la TV.

See also: vedere, e le distinzioni tra guardare e vedere. The distinction between guardare and vedere is subtle but important in Italian, reflecting different notions of focus and intention in the act of seeing.