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Verbs of involuntary perceptions ...

Contrary to verbs such as 'to look at' and 'to listen to' which describe voluntary and intentional actions requiring effort to be done, 'to hear' and 'to see' require no decisions and will power. We often see or hear things by chance, without doing it on purpose ...

On the other hand, 'to feel', 'to taste', and 'to smell' can be voluntary OR involuntary verbs of perception, depending on the effort to be made in order to reach the result :

ex : I can smell chocolate ! Who's making a cake ?

ex : He could feel she was trembling ...

ex : This syrup tastes like lemon ! 

1) In the simple present, and in the simple past, they are built with 'can', the modal auxiliary in English :

BEWARE! Future translators, these modals are not to be expressed in French.

ex : Can you see the cute bird in the tree? No, I can't see it, but I can hear it very well ...

ex : I couldn't hear him, but he could hear us quite perfectly.

2)  In the present and the preterite, verbs of involuntary perception have no constructions in - ing :(If they do, they change meanings ...)

ex : She 's tasting raw fish and says she doesn't like it.

This sentence describes a deliberate action and has nothing involuntary about it. 

ex : I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling very well ... (refers to physical health.)

3)These verbs are built with 'a complement + infinitive without to' or are followed by a 'present participle'.

ex a : His father saw him cross the street very carefully and congratulated him for it !

In the first case, we want to insist on the whole action. (The boy's father saw him standing on the pavement on the other side, then, in the middle of the street, and finally, on this pavement.)    Verb of involuntary perception + Complement + infinitive without to

ex b: I saw him pushing his young brother. That's why Paul fell down ...

                            Verb of involuntary perception + V in the present participle

In that second case, the boy was seen pushing his young brother. He was caught red-handed. We want to insist on the duration of the action or on  an action which is being done.

4) 'See' and 'hear' can be followed by a past participle  when the corresponding actions are endured.

ex : I saw him pushed right in front of a bus ...

ex : I heard the singer booed by his audience ! 

You're now ready to 'fight' with the exercise ! Don't be scared, you just have to think a little about what sort of effort you have to make to produce the action ... and it will quickly become automatic !  

                      I can hear the baby crying !                  I'm listening to the band playing ...

        What  he can see is unbelievable !                      I'm looking at a clown juggling with coloured balls !

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1) When I looked from the stage, behind the curtain, I could seewere seeingwas seeingwas seenI don't know that the theatre was full !
2) Listen ! I 'm hearingcan hear've hearing've heardI don't know a nightingale singsungto singsingingsangI don't know in the big oak tree !
3) ' Are you seeingAre you seenCan you seeI don't know my dog, Fast ?' 'No, I'm notI can'tYou're notI don't know, but I was hearingwas heard'm hearingcan hearI don't know him barkedhaving barkedbarkingI don't know from the other end of the garden ... He must be chasing birds again ...'
4) She feltfell's feelingcan feelI don't know the material this dress is made of : it's silk ; therefore, she decides to buy it !
5) Did you fellAre you feltCan you feelWere you feelingI don't know the tension in the meeting room ... There's going to be an argument ...
6) 'Can we stop for a minute, please? I can feel'm feelingcan feltI don't know a little stone in my shoe ...'
7) We 've all hearing've all been hearingall have heardall could heardI don't know horror stories about this district of New York ... A few of them are true ...
8) At the moment, I 'm seencould see'm seeingI don't know the girl from next door !
9) I smelt'm smellingcan smellI'm smeltI don't know smoke ! How come ? It's a non-smoking place, here !
10) This perfume 's smelled ofis smelling likesmelling likecan smell like's smelt ofI don't know lily-of-the-valley ! It 's too strong and is giving me a headache !