Grammar question

F.A.

Can someone please explain the difference between the following:

I heard him say goodbye.

versus

I heard him saying goodbye.

I am a non-native speaker and don't know when to use which.

FlutterinBantam

F.A. wrote: »

Can someone please explain the difference between the following:

I heard him say goodbye.

versus

I heard him saying goodbye.

I am a non-native speaker and don't know when to use which.

Very little difference in those two,in fact I would opine that either would do.

WooPeeA

The 2nd one is correct, however I don't think somebody would care or see the difference when you speak.

Papillon87

In a hurry and can't for the life of me think of the correct terminology, but here goes anyway.

Say is the "compound" (again, could be getting tenses mixed up here) past, referring to a completed action which occurred at one given moment if that makes sense.

Saying is (terminology!) the "present past", i.e the verb is in the present tense but heard indicates that it happened in the past at some point.

Thinking and translating this from French verb tense standpoint, so probably not much help.

However, in every day conversation, it doesn't make the slightest difference which you choose to use; they are interpreted the same way.

pickarooney

Technically, in the first instance you're admitting to having heard the entire goodbye while in the second you may have only heard part of it. The -ing has a certain slice-of-time connotation.