смотреть vs взглянуть

smotret' vs vzglyanut' — to look/watch vs take a glance

What it really means

Смотреть is imperfective and covers looking, watching, or maintaining visual attention for a period. Взглянуть is perfective and means to cast a quick glance or look once. Смотреть often takes на + accusative for a target; взглянуть на uses the same government, while взглянуть can sound more literary than посмотреть in casual requests.

Examples in natural speech

Мы смотрели фильм вечером.
We watched a film in the evening.
Смотри на доску.
Look at the board.
Взгляни на эту фотографию.
Take a look at this photograph.
Он долго смотрел в окно.
He looked out of the window for a long time.
Она взглянула на часы.
She glanced at the clock.

Common mistakes

Do not use взглянуть for sustained watching. The perfective request взгляни asks for one glance; for a casual “have a look” or viewing something through, посмотри is often more natural than the slightly literary взгляни.

Memory tip

Смотреть keeps the eyes there; взглянуть sends them for one quick visit.

Frequently asked questions

How does посмотреть fit this pair?

Посмотреть is the perfective counterpart for watching or looking at something as a bounded activity; взглянуть specifically highlights a brief glance.

What is смотреть в versus смотреть на?

Смотреть на takes a visible target; смотреть в describes looking into a direction or opening, such as смотреть в окно.

Can взглянуть be figurative?

Yes: взглянуть на проблему иначе means “look at the problem differently,” though it still suggests a focused act of consideration.

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