Is it difficult for you to talk about your goals at work?
Listen in today as Aubrey and Michelle share three different sentence structures.
These are perfect for sharing what you’re trying to accomplish.
Seeing progress
Aubrey asks Michelle about a goal she has been seeing progress on.
Michelle responds that she has been playing music with her friend Ian and their goal is to be able to play at an open mic gig.
They have been working really hard on their set list.
Aubrey points out that they used the phrase “seeing progress on.”
This doesn’t refer to something that you visually see, but rather an action one is doing.
Today’s question
Today’s episode was inspired by a question from Shelly at one of our live English speaking meet-ups.
She asked about the present versus present progressive structure with the verb “see.”
It can be difficult knowing when to use “see” or “seeing.”
Three different grammar structures
Aubrey and Michelle dive into three different ways you can use these verbs.
They will show the structures and give examples.
These structures can be used to express yourself in the workplace as well as in daily English conversations.
#1: See
The first structure is with modal verbs.
Modal verbs include can, could, will, would, should, might, and must.
The structure is: modal verb + see
Examples:
- We can see the results of the marketing campaign in next month’s report.
- You should see the latest sales figures before making a decision.
The second structure is with infinitives.
In this structure, you add the word ‘see’ after ‘to.’
Examples:
- I’d like to see the final version of the contract.
- The manager wants to see the project timeline.
The third structure is the simple present tense.
Here is what the structure looks like: subject + see / sees
Examples:
- I see several opportunities for growth in this market.
- She sees potential problems with the proposal.
#2: Seeing
The continuous tense is used to say an action is happening now and is still ongoing.
The sentence structure is: be + seeing
Examples:
- We are seeing strong growth in online sales this quarter.
- The company is seeing increased demand for its products.
A verb+ing like “seeing” can also be a noun called a gerund.
You add a preposition before the word ‘seeing.’
Examples:
- I’m looking forward to seeing the results of the survey.
- Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.
Lastly, you can use the word ‘seeing’ to refer to a reason.
This is slightly informal but common in English conversations.
Examples:
- We should postpone the meeting, seeing that the VP can’t attend.
- We decided to expand the team, seeing as the workload has increased.
#3: I see
This is a common English phrase meaning “I understand.”
Examples:
- I see your point, but we may need more data.
- Oh, I see. So the deadline has been moved to next week.
Roleplay
Lindsay and Aubrey share a roleplay using the vocabulary and grammar structures from today’s episode.
This will help you apply these in a conversation.
In this scenario, Lindsay and Aubrey are colleagues discussing a project update in a meeting.
Aubrey: Do you have numbers for this quarter? I’d like to see the latest sales report before we finalize the strategy.
Lindsay: Sure. We’re actually seeing a steady increase in online sales this quarter.
Aubrey: That’s great news. I see that the new marketing campaign is working!
Lindsay: Definitely. Seeing as we invested a lot in it, I’m really glad it paid off!
Aubrey: I’m looking forward to seeing the full report when it’s ready.
Lindsay: I’ll have it finished by Monday. Also, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about my laptop. I think I need a replacement.
Aubrey: I see. Let’s have IT look at it asap. I’ll get you a replacement to use in the meantime.
Takeaway
The choice between ‘see’ and ‘seeing’ isn’t a guessing game and it follows clear, learnable patterns.
Once you understand the structures, the right form starts to come naturally.
Check out BE 575: Getting Grilled at Work? How to Talk About High-Pressure Questions.
Remember, Connection not Perfection™.
You don’t have to worry that you get the structure correct as soon as possible.
Practice the tips shared by Aubrey and Michelle so you can sound more confident, more polished, and more fluent in every English conversation.
Which of these structures was new to you?
We’d love to read your example sentence in the comments below.
