{"id":2563,"date":"2018-09-11T19:00:19","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T19:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?p=2563"},"modified":"2018-11-20T20:20:51","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T20:20:51","slug":"german-verb-sehen-conjugation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-verb-sehen-conjugation\/","title":{"rendered":"Conjugation of the German Verb \u201cSehen\u201d: The Definitive Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

In a recent post, I talked about the conjugation of the German verb \u201cgehen<\/strong>\u201d<\/a>. In this blog post, I\u2019ll talk about a different topic that sounds very similar: the conjugation of the German verb \u201csehen\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSehen<\/strong>\u201d, which means \u201cto see\u201d, doesn\u2019t just sound similar, it also is \u2013 just as \u201cgehen\u201d (\u201cto go\u201d) \u2013 an irregular and strong verb, which means that its stem changes depending on the tense and the conjugation. It is also a very common verb, so expect to encounter it quite often.<\/p>\n

Since a lot of its forms are irregular, just like with the verb \u201cgehen\u201d, you’ll have to memorize its conjugation in all tenses.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s have a closer look at the conjugation of the German verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d!<\/p>\n

Conjugation of the Verb \u201cSehen\u201d \u2013 Present Tense (Pr\u00e4senz<\/em>)<\/h2>\n

Singular<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
ich sehe<\/strong><\/td>\nI see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du siehst<\/strong><\/td>\nyou see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es sieht<\/strong><\/td>\nhe\/she\/it sees<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As you can see from this table, the verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d changes its stem in the second and third person singular.<\/p>\n

Plural<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
wir sehen<\/strong><\/td>\nwe see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr seht<\/strong><\/td>\nyou see (as in: you guys see)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sie sehen<\/strong><\/td>\nthey see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

Sehen<\/strong> wir<\/strong> uns am Montag? \u2014 Are we seeing each other on Monday<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Ich sehe<\/strong> was, was du<\/strong> nicht siehst<\/strong>. \u2014 I see something you don\u2019t see<\/em>. (The German version of the children\u2019s game \u201cI spy with my little eye\u201d.)<\/p>\n

Es sieht<\/strong> nach Regen aus. \u2014 It looks like it\u2019s going to rain<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Gut siehst du<\/strong> aus! \u2014 You look good<\/em>! (Often used when you haven\u2019t seen someone in a while.)<\/p>\n

Conjugation of the Verb \u201cSehen\u201d \u2013 Simple Past Tense (Imperfekt<\/em>)<\/h2>\n

As mentioned in the blog post about\u00a0the conjugation of the verb \u201cgehen\u201d<\/a>, the Imperfekt<\/em> is rarely used in spoken and informal language. It is however used if you\u2019re writing a letter or an essay (or a book) and if you want to use more formal and \u201csophisticated\u201d language.<\/p>\n

When talking in day-to-day life, most Germans opt for using the Perfekt <\/em>(Present Perfect).<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s have a look at this relatively \u201crare\u201d case, the Imperfekt conjugation of the verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d!<\/p>\n

Singular<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
ich sah<\/strong><\/td>\nI saw<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du sahst<\/strong><\/td>\nyou saw<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es sah<\/strong><\/td>\nhe\/she\/it saw<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As you can see, the verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d also changes its stem in the simple past tense.<\/p>\n

Plural<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
wir sahen<\/strong><\/td>\nwe saw<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr saht<\/strong><\/td>\nyou saw (as in: you guys saw)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sie sahen<\/strong><\/td>\nthey saw<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

Er sah<\/strong> ein, dass er einen Fehler gemacht hatte. \u2014 He saw that he had made a mistake<\/em>. (Meaning: He accepted\/admitted he had made a mistake.)<\/p>\n

Wir sahen<\/strong> sie zuletzt vor zwei Jahren. \u2014 Last time we saw her was two years ago<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ich sah<\/strong>, wie sie versuchte die Katze zu packen. \u2014 I saw how she tried to grab the cat<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Sie sahen<\/strong> m\u00fcde aus. \u2014 They looked tired<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(These examples show how the verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d is not only used to refer to the active practice of seeing, but can also mean \u201cto understand\u201d or \u201cto accept\u201d \u2014 just like \u201cto see\u201d in English \u2014 and is used to describe what somebody looks like.)<\/p>\n

<\/a>Conjugation of the Verb \u201cSehen\u201d \u2013 Present Perfect Tense (Perfekt<\/em>)<\/h2>\n

As we just said, most Germans opt for using the Perfekt<\/em> instead of the Imperfekt<\/em>\u00a0in everyday conversations<\/strong>, or sometimes even in informal written language<\/strong> (e.g. when you’re writing a letter to a friend).<\/p>\n

Thus, the Perfekt<\/em> is used much<\/strong> more frequently than the Imperfekt<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Singular<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
ich habe<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nI saw (or<\/strong> I have seen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du hast<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nyou saw (or<\/strong> you have seen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es hat<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nhe\/she\/it saw (or<\/strong> he\/she\/it has seen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Just like with the conjugation of the verb \u201cgehen<\/strong>\u201d, a helper verb is used in the present perfect tense.<\/p>\n

But instead of \u201csein<\/strong>\u201d (like with the verb \u201cgehen<\/strong>\u201d), the verb \u201chaben<\/strong><\/a>\u201d is used as the helper verb for \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d. This is a great opportunity for you to brush up on the conjugation of the verb \u201chaben<\/strong>\u201d!<\/p>\n

The verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d itself the prefix \u2014ge<\/strong>. Thankfully in this case, the verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d doesn\u2019t change its stem.<\/p>\n

Plural<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
wir haben<\/strong> gesehen<\/em><\/td>\nwe saw (or<\/strong> we have seen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr habt<\/strong> gesehen<\/em><\/td>\nyou saw (or<\/strong> you have seen)
\n(as in: you guys have seen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sie haben<\/strong> gesehen<\/em><\/td>\nthey saw (or<\/strong> they have seen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

Ich habe gesehen<\/strong>, dass sie mir eine Notiz auf meinem Schreibtisch gelegt hat. \u2014 I saw that she left me a note on my desk<\/em>. (Or: I have seen<\/span> that she left me a note on my desk<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

Hast du gesehen<\/strong>, wann unser Kurs morgen beginnt? \u2014 Have you seen when our class starts tomorrow<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Sie hat<\/strong> ihn zuletzt am Freitag gesehen<\/strong>. \u2014 Last time she saw him was Friday<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Habt ihr<\/strong> Jana gesehen<\/strong>? Ich suche sie schon seit einer Weile. \u2014 Have you guys seen Jana? I\u2019ve been looking for her for a while now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Conjugation of the Verb \u201cSehen\u201d \u2013 Past Perfect Tense (Plusquamperfekt<\/em>)<\/h2>\n

Singular<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
ich hatte<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nI had seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du hattest<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nyou had seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es hatte<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nhe\/she\/it had seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Just like in the present perfect tense, the helper verb \u201chaben<\/strong>\u201d is used with the past perfect tense.<\/p>\n

Plural<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
wir hatten<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nwe had seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr hattet<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nyou had seen
\n(as in: you guys had seen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sie hatten<\/em> gesehen<\/strong><\/td>\nthey had seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

Wir hatten<\/strong> den Film schon am Freitag gesehen<\/strong>. \u2014 We had already seen the movie on Friday<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ich hatte gesehen<\/strong>, dass er Blumen gekauft hatte. \u2014 I had seen that he had bought flowers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Hattet ihr<\/strong> die Ausstellung auch gesehen<\/strong>? \u2014 Had you guys seen the exhibit as well<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Hattest du<\/strong> die Email gesehen<\/strong>, die er uns angeblich gesendet hatte? \u2014 Had you seen the email he supposedly sent us<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Conjugation of the Verb \u201cSehen\u201d \u2013 Future Tense (Futur<\/em>)<\/h2>\n

Germans have a habit to \u2014 in everyday and informal language \u2014 substitute the present tense for the future tense. Let\u2019s take the expression \u201cI\u2019ll see you tomorrow!\u201d for example: Instead of saying \u201cWir werden uns morgen sehen<\/strong>!\u201d (which sounds very odd for German ears) you\u2019d say \u201cWir sehen uns morgen<\/strong>!\u201d<\/p>\n

Essentially, the future tense is used in formal and written language (and in some cases in informal language), but most of the time it is\u00a0replaced by the present tense<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The future tense uses a helper verb as well: In this case it is the verb \u201cwerden<\/strong>\u201d (to become<\/em>). Just as with the helper verb \u201chaben<\/strong>\u201d, studying the future tense of the verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d is a good opportunity to take a closer look at the conjugation of the verb \u201cwerden<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Singular<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
ich werde<\/em> sehen<\/strong><\/td>\nI will see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du wirst<\/em> sehen<\/strong><\/td>\nyou will see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es wird<\/em> sehen<\/strong><\/td>\nhe\/she\/it will see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Plural<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
wir werden<\/em> sehen<\/strong><\/td>\nwe will see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr werdet<\/em> sehen<\/strong><\/td>\nyou will see<\/p>\n

(as in: you guys will see)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

sie werden<\/em> sehen<\/strong><\/td>\nthey will see<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

Ich werde sehen<\/strong>, was ich tun kann. \u2014 I will see what I can do<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Wir glauben, Lena hat sich das Bein gebrochen. Aber wir werden sehen<\/strong>, was der Doktor sagt. \u2014 We think Lena has broken her leg. But we will see what the doctor says<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Du wirst sehen<\/strong>, dass es gar nicht so schwierig ist. \u2014 You will see that it isn\u2019t so difficult<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ihr werdet sehen<\/strong>, dass sich die Stadt sehr ver\u00e4ndert hat. \u2014 You guys will see that the city has changed a lot<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Conjugation of the Verb \u201cSehen\u201d \u2013 Future Perfect Tense (Futur II<\/em>)<\/h2>\n

This is a very rarely used tense in the German language. This tense uses a conjugated form of the verb \u201cwerden<\/strong>\u201d and then uses the verb \u201chaben<\/strong>\u201d at the end of the structure.<\/p>\n

It is probably even rarer than the Futur<\/em>, which is why you might not come across it a lot.<\/p>\n

Singular<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
ich werde<\/em> gesehen<\/strong> haben<\/em><\/td>\nI will have seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du wirst<\/em> gesehen<\/strong> haben<\/em><\/td>\nyou will have seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es wird<\/em> gesehen<\/strong> haben<\/em><\/td>\nhe\/she\/it will have seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Plural<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
wir werden<\/em> gesehen<\/strong> haben<\/em><\/td>\nwe will have seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr werdet<\/em> gesehen<\/strong> haben<\/em><\/td>\nyou will have seen
\n(as in: you guys will have seen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sie werden<\/em> gesehen<\/strong> haben<\/em><\/td>\nthey will have seen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

Du wirst<\/strong> sie bis dahin schon gesehen haben<\/strong>. \u2014 You will have already seen her at that point<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ihr werdet<\/strong> bis dahin gesehen haben<\/strong>, wohin das Ganze f\u00fchrt. \u2014 You guys will have seen by that time where this whole thing is leading<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Conjugation of the Verb \u201cSehen\u201d \u2013 Command Form (Imperativ<\/em>)<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s really only a few command forms (Imperative<\/em>) for the verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Sehe<\/strong>!\/Sieh<\/strong>! \u2014 Look<\/em>! (When addressing a single person.)<\/li>\n
  • Seht<\/strong>! \u2014 Look<\/em>! (When addressing a group of people.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Both phrases sound a bit old-fashioned, which is why they\u2019re mostly used in literature or e.g. in theater plays. You might not encounter them a lot in day-to-day language.<\/p>\n

    So that would be the lowdown on the conjugation of the verb \u201csehen<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

    Until next time and viel Erfolg<\/em>!<\/p>\n

    Challenge yourself with Clozemaster<\/h2>\n

    Test your skills and see what you’ve learned from this article by playing a selection of sentences with forms of the German verb \u201csehen\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n