Ansehen Perfekt Tense Conjugation in German
The Perfekt of ansehen — “to look at” — is the tense you need for finished actions in the past: what you did yesterday, what happened last week, what has just finished. It is formed with haben in the present + the past participle angesehen, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete Perfekt table for ansehen, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the Präteritum, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich habe einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “I have watched a film in the evening.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ansehen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Perfekt Tense conjugation of ansehen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for ansehen. The Perfekt is a compound tense: haben in the present + the past participle angesehen. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the single uninflected participle form, and the auxiliary carries the person.
Perfect (Perfekt) — ansehen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe angesehen |
| du | hast angesehen |
| er/sie/es | hat angesehen |
| wir | haben angesehen |
| ihr | habt angesehen |
| sie/Sie | haben angesehen |
The present participle of ansehen is ansehend and the past participle is angesehen. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the Perfekt of ansehen is formed
Take the present tense of the auxiliary haben and add the past participle angesehen: ich → habe angesehen, du → hast angesehen, er/sie/es → hat angesehen, wir → haben angesehen, ihr → habt angesehen, sie/Sie → haben angesehen. So ansehen gives habe angesehen, hast angesehen, hat angesehen, haben angesehen, habt angesehen, haben angesehen. ansehen takes haben, the default auxiliary. The past participle stays invariable in the Perfekt: it does not agree with the subject, so angesehen is the same for every person. Because ansehen is separable, the participle takes ge- between the prefix and the stem: an + ge- + stem gives angesehen. In the Perfekt the prefix stays attached to the participle — it only splits off in the simple finite forms, as in sehe an. A note on the participle: angesehen is the only past participle for ansehen in the verified tables. Do not invent a second participle, and do not borrow the participle of a similar verb.
When to use the Perfekt of ansehen
1. A finished event in the past
Use the Perfekt for a finished event in the past. For example, with ansehen: “Ich habe einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “I have watched a film in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. Something that has just happened
Use the Perfekt for something that has just happened. For example, with ansehen: “Du hast einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “You have watched a film in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. A sequence of past events
Use the Perfekt for a sequence of past events. For example, with ansehen: “Er hat einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “He has watched a film in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Life experience up to now
Use the Perfekt for life experience up to now. For example, with ansehen: “Wir haben einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “We have watched a film in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. A past event with a definite time
Use the Perfekt for a past event with a definite time. For example, with ansehen: “Ihr habt einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “You have watched a film in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Perfekt vs Präteritum: ansehen in speech and in writing
The Perfekt and the Präteritum both talk about the past, but they are not interchangeable in register. The Perfekt is the tense of spoken German: what you say in conversation. The Präteritum is the tense of written narration: stories, reports and formal writing. Compare the pairs below — the Perfekt form comes from this page, the Präteritum form from the full conjugation table.
Perfekt (spoken): “Ich habe einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “I have watched a film in the evening.”
Präteritum (written): “Ich sah einen Film am Abend an.” — “I watched a film in the evening.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Du hast einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “You have watched a film in the evening.”
Präteritum (written): “Du sahst einen Film am Abend an.” — “You watched a film in the evening.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Wir haben einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “We have watched a film in the evening.”
Präteritum (written): “Wir sahen einen Film am Abend an.” — “We watched a film in the evening.”
Example sentences: ansehen in the Perfekt
Six sentences using only the Perfekt of ansehen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich habe einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “I have watched a film in the evening.”
- “Du hast einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “You have watched a film in the evening.”
- “Er hat einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “He has watched a film in the evening.”
- “Wir haben einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “We have watched a film in the evening.”
- “Ihr habt einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “You have watched a film in the evening.”
- “Sie haben einen Film am Abend angesehen.” — “They have watched a film in the evening.”
Common mistakes with ansehen in the Perfekt
1. Using the wrong auxiliary
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin einen Film am Abend angesehen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Film am Abend angesehen.”
With ansehen the Perfekt takes haben, not sein. The correct form is habe angesehen.
2. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Ich sehe einen Film am Abend an.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Film am Abend angesehen.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe angesehen), not the present.
3. Using the Präteritum for a single finished event in speech
✗ Wrong: “Ich sah einen Film am Abend an.” (in conversation)
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Film am Abend angesehen.”
In spoken German a single finished event yesterday takes the Perfekt. The Präteritum belongs in written narration.
4. Putting ge- in the wrong place in the participle
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe geansehen einen Film am Abend.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Film am Abend angesehen.”
With a separable verb the ge- goes between the prefix and the stem: angesehen, not geansehen.
Quiz: ansehen in the Perfekt
What is the ich form of ansehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe angesehen
- B) hast angesehen
- C) haben angesehen
- D) habt angesehen
What is the du form of ansehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe angesehen
- B) hast angesehen
- C) habt angesehen
- D) haben angesehen
What is the er/sie/es form of ansehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast angesehen
- B) hat angesehen
- C) haben angesehen
- D) habe angesehen
What is the wir form of ansehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe angesehen
- B) haben angesehen
- C) hast angesehen
- D) hat angesehen
What is the ihr form of ansehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habt angesehen
- B) hast angesehen
- C) hat angesehen
- D) habe angesehen
What is the sie/Sie form of ansehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast angesehen
- B) habe angesehen
- C) haben angesehen
- D) hat angesehen
What is the past participle of ansehen?
- A) sah an
- B) sehe an
- C) ansehend
- D) angesehen
Which auxiliary does ansehen take in the Perfekt?
- A) sein
- B) werden
- C) haben
Answer key
- A) habe angesehen — the ich form of ansehen in the Perfekt is habe angesehen.
- B) hast angesehen — the du form of ansehen in the Perfekt is hast angesehen.
- B) hat angesehen — the er/sie/es form of ansehen in the Perfekt is hat angesehen.
- B) haben angesehen — the wir form of ansehen in the Perfekt is haben angesehen.
- A) habt angesehen — the ihr form of ansehen in the Perfekt is habt angesehen.
- C) haben angesehen — the sie/Sie form of ansehen in the Perfekt is haben angesehen.
- D) angesehen — the past participle of ansehen is angesehen; the Perfekt uses haben + angesehen.
- C) haben — ansehen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe angesehen.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Perfekt of ansehen formed?
With haben in the present + the past participle angesehen: ich → habe angesehen, du → hast angesehen, er/sie/es → hat angesehen. The full table is above, and the German Perfekt tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is ansehen regular in the Perfekt?
Yes — ansehen is regular in the Perfekt: the forms follow the standard pattern. The full picture, including the irregular tenses if any, is on the full conjugation page.
What is the past participle of ansehen?
The past participle is angesehen. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe angesehen, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte angesehen.
Related pages
- ansehen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- ansehen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise ansehen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise ansehen with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise the perfect tenses with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.