Regular verb
The verb to watch
watch → watched → watched
A2Meaning: to look at something for some time; to guard · Type: regular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
watch / watches(with -es) - Past Simple:
watched - Past participle:
watched - -ing form:
watching
Conjugation of the verb to watch
Present Simple
| I | watch |
| You | watch |
| He / She / It | watches |
| We | watch |
| You (pl.) | watch |
| They | watch |
Past Simple
| I | watched |
| You | watched |
| He / She / It | watched |
| We | watched |
| You (pl.) | watched |
| They | watched |
All the forms of the verb to watch
Present Simple
Full pagewatch / watches
“I watch TV every night.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are watching
“I am watching a film right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagewatched
“I watched a movie.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were watching
“I was watching a film when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has watched
“I have already watched a film.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad watched
“She had already watched a film when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill watch
“I will watch a film tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to watch
“I'm going to watch a film this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould watch
“I would watch a film if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to watch
1. Watching (TV, sport)
- I watch TV every night.
2. Looking after someone
Watch the baby! means look after the baby and keep it safe.
- Watch the baby!
3. Watch out!
Watch out! means be careful!
- Watch out, a car!
A common mistake
1. Binge-watching
Binge-watching is watching many episodes of a series in one go. It became popular with streaming: We spent all Sunday binge-watching a series.
Going further
Conjugating to watch is a key skill in the English contest
Every year, the Big Challenge tests the key English verbs. Register your students so they can check their level in a real contest.
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Practise on PLAYYou can conjugate to watch. Now say it out loud.
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For teachersReady-made activities to practise to watch in class
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Related pages: watch
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of watch?+
The Past Simple of watch is watched. It is a regular verb, with -ed: I watched a film last night.
What is the difference between watch, look at and see?+
Watch means to look at something for some time, often something that moves (TV, a film, a match). Look at means to turn your eyes to something, often for a short time. See means that something comes to your eyes, even if you don't try. I'm watching TV. I'm looking at the menu. I can see a bird.
Why is it he watches with -es?+
Rule: verbs that end in -ch, -sh, -ss, -x or -z take -es with he, she and it. He watches, she pushes, it misses, he fixes.
What does watch out mean?+
Watch out! means be careful! We shout it when there is danger right now. Look out! means the same thing.
What does binge-watching mean?+
Binge-watching means watching many episodes of a series one after the other. It is a modern word from streaming. I'm binge-watching a new series this weekend.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/watch
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.