How do you say I saw him leave in French?

Je l'ai vu partir. The pronoun goes in front of the perception verb and the infinitive follows with no preposition. The same pattern gives je l'ai entendu rentrer and je l'ai regardé partir.

Can the infinitive come before the noun?

Yes, and it often sounds better with a long noun phrase: j'ai vu passer le train de sept heures. The inversion is only blocked when the infinitive has its own direct object, since two nouns cannot compete for the same slot.

When does the participle agree after voir or entendre?

When the preceding direct object is the one performing the infinitive's action: je les ai vus partir. If the object is what the action is done to, there is no agreement: la chanson que j'ai entendu chanter.

What's the difference between entendre and écouter?

Entendre is receiving a sound, écouter is paying attention to it: j'entends la pluie but j'écoute la radio. Both take a direct object, so écouter never takes à.

Can you use que instead of an infinitive?

Yes. J'ai vu qu'il pleuvait and j'ai entendu qu'ils se disputaient are both natural, and the clause is in the indicative. Use it when the perceived action needs its own tense or a subject that is not the object of the perception verb.

French grammar · Advanced

Verbs of Perception in French: Seeing, Hearing, and the Infinitive That Follows

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Voir, entendre, écouter, regarder and sentir can be followed directly by an infinitive, with no que and no preposition: je vois les enfants jouer. French also allows the two elements to swap places, and the past participle of the perception verb agrees only when what precedes it is the thing performing the infinitive's action.

J'ai vu les enfants sortir de l'école.

I saw the children come out of school.

What it is

English says I saw him leave, dropping the to, and French does something similar: the infinitive follows the perception verb bare, with nothing linking them. What French adds is flexibility in the order and a set of agreement rules that depend on who is doing what.

Je l'ai entendu rentrer vers minuit. — I heard him come in around midnight.

How to spot it

A perception verb followed immediately by a noun and an infinitive, or by an infinitive and a noun. Both orders exist and both are correct.

J'entends quelqu'un frapper. — I can hear someone knocking.
Regarde le chat dormir. — Watch the cat sleeping.
On a vu passer un train. — We saw a train go past.
Je sens le vent se lever. — I can feel the wind picking up.

French has no continuous form, so the infinitive does the work of the English -ing: je le vois courir covers both I see him run and I see him running.

Verbs of Perception Quick Reference

The perception verbs and what they take

Verb	Sense	Example
voir	sight, passive	je le vois arriver — I see him coming
regarder	sight, deliberate	je le regarde travailler — I watch him work
apercevoir	a glimpse	je l'ai aperçu sortir — I glimpsed him leaving
entendre	hearing, passive	je l'entends chanter — I hear her singing
écouter	hearing, deliberate	je l'écoute jouer — I listen to him playing
sentir	smell or physical feeling	je sens la pluie arriver — I can feel rain coming
remarquer	noticing	j'ai remarqué qu'il boitait — I noticed he was limping
with a clause instead	voir / entendre que	j'ai vu qu'il pleuvait — I saw it was raining

Common Verbs of Perception Examples in French

The construction in each of its shapes:

Person Then Infinitive

J'ai vu Marie traverser la rue.: I saw Marie cross the street.
Nous avons entendu les voisins rentrer.: We heard the neighbours come home.
Elle regardait son fils jouer au ballon.: She was watching her son play with the ball.
Je sens mon téléphone vibrer.: I can feel my phone vibrating.

This is the order English uses, and it is always available. If the infinitive has its own object, it is the only order allowed.

Infinitive Then Person

J'ai vu passer le facteur.: I saw the postman go past.
On entend chanter les oiseaux.: You can hear the birds singing.
Il a senti monter la colère.: He felt the anger rising.
Nous avons vu tomber la neige.: We watched the snow falling.

This order sounds slightly more literary and is preferred when the noun is long. It is only possible if the infinitive has no object of its own.

With a Pronoun

Je les vois arriver.: I can see them coming.
Tu l'as entendue crier ?: Did you hear her shout?
Écoute-la chanter.: Listen to her sing.
Je ne l'ai pas vu partir.: I didn't see him leave.

The pronoun goes in front of the perception verb, not in front of the infinitive, because it is what you perceived.

With a Relative Clause Instead

J'ai vu un homme qui courait.: I saw a man running.
Elle a entendu quelqu'un qui pleurait.: She heard someone crying.
Je vois qu'il neige.: I can see it's snowing.
On sent que quelque chose ne va pas.: You can feel something's wrong.

A qui clause emphasises the ongoing nature of the action; the bare infinitive presents it as a single perceived event.

How the Construction Works

Word order, pronoun placement, and the agreement rule that follows from who performs the infinitive.

The Infinitive Follows Directly

No preposition and no que come between the perception verb and the infinitive. This puts perception verbs in the same small group as faire, laisser and the modal verbs.

Je t'ai entendu rire.

I heard you laughing.

voir / entendre + bare infinitive.

Either Order Is Possible, Within Limits

You can say j'ai vu Paul partir or j'ai vu partir Paul. The second is only available when the infinitive has no object of its own; otherwise the two nouns would compete for the same slot.

J'ai vu Paul manger une pomme.

I saw Paul eating an apple.

Infinitive with an object → person first.

The Pronoun Attaches to the Perception Verb

Unlike modal constructions, where the pronoun goes with the infinitive, here the thing perceived is the object of the perception verb, so its pronoun sits in front of that verb.

Je les entends discuter dans le couloir.

I can hear them talking in the corridor.

je les vois partir, not je vois les partir.

Agreement Depends on Who Acts

The participle agrees with a preceding direct object only if that object is the one performing the infinitive's action. If it is being acted upon instead, the participle stays invariable.

La chanteuse que j'ai entendue chanter était italienne.

The singer I heard singing was Italian.

The doer triggers agreement.

A Que Clause Is Always Available

Voir, entendre, sentir and remarquer can also take que plus a full clause. This is what you need when the perceived action has its own tense or a complicated subject.

J'ai vu qu'elle avait pleuré.

I could see she had been crying.

voir que + indicative.

Common Mistakes with Verbs of Perception

Incorrect: J'ai vu les enfants à jouer. — I saw the children playing.

Correct: J'ai vu les enfants jouer. — I saw the children playing.

Perception verbs take the infinitive with no preposition at all. Adding à or de breaks a construction that is designed to be direct.

Incorrect: Je vois les partir. — I can see them leaving.

Correct: Je les vois partir. — I can see them leaving.

The pronoun is the object of voir, so it goes in front of voir. This is the opposite of what happens after a modal verb, where the pronoun goes with the infinitive.

Incorrect: La chanson que j'ai entendue chanter. — The song I heard sung.

Correct: La chanson que j'ai entendu chanter. — The song I heard sung.

The song is what was sung, not what did the singing, so it is not the subject of the infinitive and the participle stays invariable.

Incorrect: J'écoute à la musique. — I'm listening to music.

Correct: J'écoute la musique. — I'm listening to music.

Écouter takes a direct object in French. The à of English listen to has no equivalent, and adding it is one of the most persistent transfer errors.

Agreement After a Perception Verb

This is the point that separates perception verbs from faire and laisser, and it turns on one question: is the preceding object doing the infinitive's action or receiving it?

When the object performs the action, the participle agrees

If the noun or pronoun in front of the verb is the subject of the infinitive, the participle takes its gender and number.

Je les ai vus partir.: I saw them leave.
La femme que j'ai entendue crier.: The woman I heard shouting.
Les enfants, je les ai regardés jouer.: The children, I watched them playing.

In each case the preceding object is the one who leaves, shouts or plays, so agreement applies.

When the object undergoes the action, it does not

If the preceding noun is what the infinitive is done to rather than what does it, there is no agreement.

La chanson que j'ai entendu chanter.: The song I heard sung.
La maison que j'ai vu construire.: The house I saw being built.
Les pièces que j'ai vu jouer.: The plays I saw performed.

A song does not sing and a house does not build, so entendu and vu stay invariable.

Faire never agrees, laisser is now optional

Faire plus an infinitive is invariable in every case. Laisser followed the perception pattern traditionally, but the invariable form is accepted today.

Je les ai fait entrer.: I let them in.
Elle s'est fait couper les cheveux.: She had her hair cut.
Je les ai laissés partir.: I let them go.

Je les ai laissé partir is also accepted since the 1990 spelling recommendations, but the agreeing form remains more common in careful writing.

Verbs of Perception FAQs

How do you say I saw him leave in French?: Je l'ai vu partir. The pronoun goes in front of the perception verb and the infinitive follows with no preposition. The same pattern gives je l'ai entendu rentrer and je l'ai regardé partir.
Can the infinitive come before the noun?: Yes, and it often sounds better with a long noun phrase: j'ai vu passer le train de sept heures. The inversion is only blocked when the infinitive has its own direct object, since two nouns cannot compete for the same slot.
When does the participle agree after voir or entendre?: When the preceding direct object is the one performing the infinitive's action: je les ai vus partir. If the object is what the action is done to, there is no agreement: la chanson que j'ai entendu chanter.
What's the difference between entendre and écouter?: Entendre is receiving a sound, écouter is paying attention to it: j'entends la pluie but j'écoute la radio. Both take a direct object, so écouter never takes à.
Can you use que instead of an infinitive?: Yes. J'ai vu qu'il pleuvait and j'ai entendu qu'ils se disputaient are both natural, and the clause is in the indicative. Use it when the perceived action needs its own tense or a subject that is not the object of the perception verb.