Sehen (to see) is one of the most common irregular verbs in German. It is used to describe the act of perceiving something with the eyes, as well as in many idiomatic expressions.
Conjugations
Present (Präsens)
| German Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| ich | sehe | I see |
| du | siehst | you see |
| er/sie/es | sieht | he/she/it sees |
| wir | sehen | we see |
| ihr | seht | you (pl.) see |
| sie/Sie | sehen | they/you (formal) see |
Simple Past (Präteritum)
| German Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| ich | sah | I saw |
| du | sahst | you saw |
| er/sie/es | sah | he/she/it saw |
| wir | sahen | we saw |
| ihr | saht | you (pl.) saw |
| sie/Sie | sahen | they/you (formal) saw |
They saw the movie. (sie / sehen)
Sie sahen den Film.
Plural past tense ends with -en. Ich sehe → Ich sah, sie sehen → sie sahen.
Past Participle (Partizip II)
The past participle is gesehen. It is used with the auxiliary verb haben to form the present perfect (Perfekt).
| Form | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Past Participle | gesehen | seen |
Present Perfect (Perfekt)
| German Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| ich | habe gesehen | I have seen |
| du | hast gesehen | you have seen |
| er/sie/es | hat gesehen | he/she/it has seen |
| wir | haben gesehen | we have seen |
| ihr | habt gesehen | you (pl.) have seen |
| sie/Sie | haben gesehen | they/you (formal) have seen |
Examples
Simple Sentences
| German Sentence | English Sentence |
|---|---|
| Ich sehe den Hund. | I see the dog. |
| Sie sieht einen Vogel im Baum. | She sees a bird in the tree. |
| Wir sehen den Film heute Abend. | We are seeing the movie tonight. |
Using in Zeitformen
| German Satz | English Sentence |
|---|---|
| Gestern sah ich meinen Lehrer. | Yesterday I saw my teacher. |
| Hast du die Nachrichten gesehen? | Have you seen the news? |
| Ich sehe dich morgen. | I’ll see you tomorrow. |
Reflexive and Modal Usage
| German Satz | English Sentence |
|---|---|
| Kannst du mich sehen? | Can you see me? |
| Ich will das Bild sehen. | I want to see the picture. |
| Siehst du dich im Spiegel? | Do you see yourself in the mirror? |
Idiomatic Usage
Sehen is used in several German idioms:
- das kann man sehen lassen — “that’s something to be proud of”
- nach etwas sehen — “to look for something”
- sich nach jemandem sehen — “to long for someone”
Summary
- Sehen is irregular in the stem vowel change (e → ie) in du/es/sie forms in the present tense.
- Past tense stem is sah-.
- Past participle is gesehen.
- Used with haben in perfect tenses.
- Common in simple sentences, questions, and idiomatic expressions.
With these forms and examples, you can confidently use sehen in everyday German conversation.
What is the past participle of sehen?
gesehen
'gesehen' is the past participle ending in -en, used with haben for perfect tenses.
Flashcards (1 of 28)
- English Conjugation: I see
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
