Sehen Conjugation in German
sehen means “to see” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 17 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich sehe einen Film heute Abend.” — “I see a film this evening.” — and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of sehen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: sehen
- English: to see
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): sehend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gesehen
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: strong in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sehen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read sehen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about sehen
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gesehen. The tables on this page give the participle in the form exactly as it appears in the verified dump; the participle itself does not change for person, only the auxiliary does.
- The participles are sehend and gesehen: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sehen. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the preterite, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sehe |
| du | siehst |
| er/sie/es | sieht |
| wir | sehen |
| ihr | seht |
| sie/Sie | sehen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With sehen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich sehe meine Freunde morgen.” — “I see my friends tomorrow.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sah |
| du | sahst |
| er/sie/es | sah |
| wir | sahen |
| ihr | saht |
| sie/Sie | sahen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With sehen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du sahst meine Freunde morgen.” — “You saw my friends tomorrow.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gesehen |
| du | hast gesehen |
| er/sie/es | hat gesehen |
| wir | haben gesehen |
| ihr | habt gesehen |
| sie/Sie | haben gesehen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat meine Freunde morgen gesehen.” — “He has seen my friends tomorrow.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gesehen |
| du | hattest gesehen |
| er/sie/es | hatte gesehen |
| wir | hatten gesehen |
| ihr | hattet gesehen |
| sie/Sie | hatten gesehen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte meine Freunde morgen gesehen.” — “I had seen my friends tomorrow.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde sehen |
| du | wirst sehen |
| er/sie/es | wird sehen |
| wir | werden sehen |
| ihr | werdet sehen |
| sie/Sie | werden sehen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde meine Freunde morgen sehen.” — “I will see my friends tomorrow.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gesehen haben |
| du | wirst gesehen haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gesehen haben |
| wir | werden gesehen haben |
| ihr | werdet gesehen haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gesehen haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst meine Freunde morgen gesehen haben.” — “You will have seen my friends tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sehe |
| du | sehest |
| er/sie/es | sehe |
| wir | sehen |
| ihr | sehet |
| sie/Sie | sehen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er sehe meine Freunde morgen.” — “He sees my friends tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sähe |
| du | sähest |
| er/sie/es | sähe |
| wir | sähen |
| ihr | sähet |
| sie/Sie | sähen |
Konjunktiv II is used for hypothetical situations, wishes and polite requests. It doubles as the German conditional: there is no separate conditional tense, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not an engine tense. For example: “Ich sähe meine Freunde morgen.” — “I would see my friends tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gesehen |
| du | hättest gesehen |
| er/sie/es | hätte gesehen |
| wir | hätten gesehen |
| ihr | hättet gesehen |
| sie/Sie | hätten gesehen |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte meine Freunde morgen gesehen.” — “He would have seen my friends tomorrow.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | sieh |
| wir | sehen |
| ihr | seht |
| sie/Sie | sehen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With sehen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Sieh meine Freunde morgen!” — “See my friends tomorrow!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | sehend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle sehend is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle (Partizip II) | gesehen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe einen Film heute Abend gesehen.” — “I have seen a film this evening.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | sehen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive. The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb: it is the form you look up, and the form that follows modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with sehen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich sehe einen Film heute Abend.” — “I see a film this evening.”
- “Du sahst meine Freunde morgen.” — “You saw my friends tomorrow.”
- “Er hat das Meer von meinem Fenster gesehen.” — “He has seen the sea from my window.”
- “Ich werde einen Film heute Abend sehen.” — “I will see a film this evening.”
- “Du sähest meine Freunde morgen.” — “You would see my friends tomorrow.”
- “Ich hatte das Meer von meinem Fenster gesehen.” — “I had seen the sea from my window.”
- “Du wirst meine Freunde morgen gesehen haben.” — “You will have seen my friends tomorrow.”
- “Er sehe das Meer von meinem Fenster.” — “He sees the sea from my window.”
- “Ich hätte einen Film heute Abend gesehen.” — “I would have seen a film this evening.”
- “Sieh einen Film heute Abend!” — “See a film this evening!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich sehen einen Film heute Abend.”
✓ Right: “Ich sehe einen Film heute Abend.”
The infinitive sehen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form sehe.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich sehen einen Film heute Abend.”
✓ Right: “Ich sehe einen Film heute Abend.”
sehen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with sehe.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich sehe einen Film heute Abend gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Film heute Abend gesehen.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gesehen, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin einen Film heute Abend gesehen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Film heute Abend gesehen.”
The Perfekt of sehen is formed with haben plus the past participle gesehen: the ich form is habe gesehen. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the preterite where spoken German prefers the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich sah einen Film heute Abend gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Film heute Abend gesehen.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gesehen is the usual past tense. The preterite sah is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Sieh einen Film heute Abend!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Seht einen Film heute Abend!”
The du imperative sieh is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form seht.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on sehen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of sehen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) siehst
- B) sieht
- C) sehen
- D) sehe
What is the er/sie/es form of sehen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) sah
- B) sahst
- C) sahen
- D) saht
What is the er/sie/es form of sehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat gesehen
- B) habe gesehen
- C) hast gesehen
- D) haben gesehen
What is the du form of sehen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst sehen
- B) werde sehen
- C) wird sehen
- D) werden sehen
What is the ich form of sehen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) sähe
- B) sähest
- C) sähen
- D) sähet
What is the wir form of sehen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hattet gesehen
- B) hatten gesehen
- C) hatte gesehen
- D) hattest gesehen
What is the er/sie/es form of sehen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) sehest
- B) sehen
- C) sehet
- D) sehe
What is the du form of sehen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) sehen
- B) seht
- C) siehst
- D) sieh
What is the past participle of sehen?
- A) gestanden
- B) gesehen
- C) genommen
- D) gefunden
What does sehen mean in English?
- A) to see
- B) to take
- C) to find
- D) to stand
Answer key
- D) sehe — the ich form of sehen in the Present (Präsens) is sehe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) sah — the er/sie/es form of sehen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is sah. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hat gesehen — the er/sie/es form of sehen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gesehen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst sehen — the du form of sehen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst sehen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) sähe — the ich form of sehen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is sähe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) hatten gesehen — the wir form of sehen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gesehen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) sehe — the er/sie/es form of sehen in the Konjunktiv I is sehe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) sieh — the du form of sehen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is sieh. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) gesehen — the past participle of sehen is gesehen; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- A) to see — sehen means “to see” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does sehen mean in English?
sehen means “to see”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is sehen regular or irregular?
sehen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is sehend and the past participle is gesehen.
What are the participles of sehen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is sehend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gesehen — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gesehen.
Which auxiliary does sehen take in the Perfekt?
sehen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gesehen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gesehen.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form sähe is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect hätte gesehen covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I see a film this evening” in German?
Say “Ich sehe einen Film heute Abend.” — “I see a film this evening.” The ich form of the present is sehe, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sehen — every tense of sehen in one place.
- Sehen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Sehen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Nehmen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Finden conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Stehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise sehen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise sehen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise sehen with the interactive tool.