which is which?

[lisa***]

good day!


i'd like to ask the difference between

I saw him steal the money.
I saw him stole the money.

Is there? Do they differ in emphasis?


thank you and God bless!

[Casiopea]

I saw him steal the money.
I saw him stole the money.

The second sentence is ungrammatical. There's a rule that says that only the main verb can carry tense. In our second example sentence, the main verb is 'saw'. It carries the tense:

EX: I saw him steal the money.

Present tense: see, sees
Past tense: saw
Infinitive: see (no tense)

The second verb is 'steal', and it doesn't carry tense:

EX: I saw him steal the money.

Present tense: steal, steals
Past tense: stole
Infinitive: steal (no tense)

Our example sentence below is ungrammatical.

EX: I saw him *stole the money. ungrammatical

The second verb 'stole' carries tense, specifically past tense, and it shouldn't.

Hope that helps.

[Temico]

You can say,
1) I saw him steal the money.
2) I saw him stealing the money.
3) I saw him when he stole the money.

but you can't say,
"I saw him stole the money."