Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

erik19283 · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 144

Hello,

I would like to know how "Watch out" and "Be careful" are different.

Thank you.

Anuradha Chepur · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 933

They are not different in meaning.
The preposition that follows could be different.

Watch out for pickpockets.
Be careful about pickpockets.

erik19283 · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 144

Ok, so the meaning appears to be the same, but what about the usage?

For example, if I were to see something about to fall on someone, I would say, "What out!", but would "Be careful" be just as good? To me, it doesn't seem so, but I'm not sure. Somehow, I feel like the emergency of this situation calls for "watch out" more than "be careful".

In a different situation, but this time where I would prefer "be careful" to "watch out", would be if I tell someone about how to do something a certain way instead of another: "Be careful. You need to add no more than a cup of milk." Somehow, it wouldn't sound right to me to use "watch out" here.

Can you shed some light?

Anuradha Chepur · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 933

At first I was thinking along the same lines as you have, that watch out is about what is impending, emergency etc. But on second thoughts I felt they are interchangeable.
Your examples show that may be the two are not interchangeable in some situations.

In your first situation, however, I would panic and scream whatever comes to my mind in that situation and not bother about grammar etc.

In your second situation, even I wouldn't use watch out.