When to use the word seen and saw

The words saw and seen have similar meanings and uses. Both refer to the use of sight in the past tense. However, they are not interchangeable.

If you have ever confused the two, or feel like you couldn’t explain the difference between saw and seen, this post will be very helpful. We will define each one and give you some easy examples to follow.

The Meaning of Saw and Seen

As mentioned, both saw and seen refer to sight in the past tense. Specifically, saw is the past-tense version of the verb see. Seen is the past participle. That means it needs a helping verb to make it work.

That subtle distinction is key to understanding seen vs. saw. If it seems unclear, don’t worry. We are going to show you exactly how both forms work with examples.

Also note that there is another definition of saw. It can be used as a noun (specifically a cutting tool). Most people have a harder time distinguishing the sight-related version of that word, though, so that’s what we’ll focus on today.

When to Use Saw

You’ll want to use saw anytime you are referring to sight in the past tense and without a helping verb, meaning it acts on its own in a sentence. The following examples use saw correctly:

I saw three squirrels at the park today.

Joan wants to buy the bracelet she saw in the shop window.

No one saw the car that hit the street sign.

So, saw is the right choice when you have a sentence using the simple past tense of sight. Now let’s move on to seen.

When to Use Seen

Because seen is the past participle of see, it needs a helping verb to complete its meaning as a verb in a sentence. That helping verb is often a form of to be (is, am, are, was, were, will be) or to have (have, has, had, will have).

This is one of those concepts that might sound tricky until you see it in action. The following examples correctly use seen as a past participle verb:

Jim caught the biggest fish we had ever seen.

The suspect was seen speeding on the highway.

Have you seen my purple socks anywhere?

I will be seen by the prime minister tomorrow.

With a bit of practice, you will begin to naturally identify where seen is the right fit in a sentence because of the presence of the helping verb.

Pop Quiz

Identify the correct use of saw or seen in each sentence.

1. Mariya [saw / seen] a black swan on the pond today.

2. You have [saw / seen] the Grand Canyon before, right?

3. By the time the tour is over, Lucas will have [saw / seen] the rock band in 10 different cities.

4. The UFO was [saw / seen] by at least fifteen people last night.

5. Yalda [saw / seen] a dress that she wanted to buy at the market.

Pop Quiz Answers

1. Mariya saw a black swan on the pond today.

2. You have seen the Grand Canyon before, right?

3. By the time the tour is over, Lucas will have seen the rock band in 10 different cities.

4. The UFO was seen by at least fifteen people last night.

5. Yalda saw a dress that she wanted to buy at the market.

Ready for Your Next Grammar Lesson?

Seen vs. saw can be a grammar challenge for some, but now you are certain of the difference. You can continue to grow as a writer and a grammarian with our vast archive of topics concerning American English. If you have a question about the post on this page, simply leave it below. If you have ideas about grammar topics, we welcome those as well!

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Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Dr. Deion Schimmel I

Score: 4.3/5
(47 votes)

‘Saw’ is the past tense of the word ‘see’ while ‘seen’ is the past participle. Typically, ‘saw’ comes immediately after the noun or pronoun. For instance, “Steve saw the movie.” ‘Seen’ is never used as a standalone verb and is generally accompanied by words such as ‘have’, ‘had’, ‘was’, among others.

Is it I just seen or I just saw?

You can say either «I just saw» (past simple) or «I’ve just seen» (present perfect); there isn’t much difference in meaning between them, since in any case, «just» fixes the time of the event to the recent past. There’s a slight difference in emphasis, but in most cases, expressions like: «I just saw the movie.»

What is the difference between seen and saw?

EXPLANATION OF WORDS: Saw is the PAST TENSE of the verb see, and usually comes immediately after NOUNS and PRONOUNS. Seen is the PAST PARTICIPLE of the VERB see. Generally, seen is used alongside have, has, had, was or were in a sentence to make COMPOUND VERBS.

How do you use seen in a sentence?

Seen sentence example

Why do people confuse saw and seen?

While “I saw” is the simple past tense (preterit) of the verb SEE, “seen” is the past participle of the verb SEE.

29 related questions found

The words saw and seen are forms of the irregular verb see. As you can see, unlike most verbs, saw and seen don’t end in -ed or -d, which can make it tricky to determine when each should be used.

In this article, we’ll break down when and how to use saw and seen, explain what makes see an irregular verb, and provide examples of how different forms of see are used in sentences.

When to use seen or saw

The words saw and seen are forms of the irregular verb see. Saw is the past tense form and seen is the past participle form.

Verbs are typically considered to be irregular verbs if their past tense form and/or past participle are not formed by adding -ed or -d to the end of their root form. This is the case with see (as neither the past tense nor the past participle are seed).

Because seen is the past participle, it’s used with the auxiliary verbs have, has, and had to form the perfect verb tenses. The verb phrase has seen is used with a third person singular subject (with the exception of singular they). The phrase have seen is used with any other subject, including first person singular/plural, second person singular/plural, and third person plural.

For example:

• I saw a raccoon last night. (past tense)
• He has seen raccoons several times. (present perfect tense)
• I have seen many wild animals in my life. (present perfect tense)
• I had seen raccoon tracks before last night, but I had never seen an actual raccoon. (past perfect tense)

Sharpen your grammar skills to perfection by reviewing the past perfect tense with our helpful guide.

As with other past participles, seen is the form used when using see in the passive voice. When used this way, seen is accompanied by one of the forms of the helping verb be (is, was, are, etc.). The form of be that you use is determined by the subject and/or a modal verb.

For example:

• A bear was seen at the campsite yesterday. 
• The error can be seen here. 

Some verbs are even more irregular than see, such as the verb be, whose forms include is and are, was and were, and been and being.

Is it I seen or I saw?

Since saw is the past tense form of see, I saw is considered the standard form when describing past events. The word saw can be used with either a singular or plural subject, as in I saw, she saw, you saw, we saw, they saw, etc.

In standard English, using seen with I requires a form of the helping verb have, as in I have seen (present perfect) or I had seen (past perfect).

Although it is considered nonstandard, the phrase I seen is sometimes used as a past tense form in a variety of English dialects, as in I seen her yesterday.

Examples of see, seen and saw used in a sentence

Now that we’ve learned more about see, seen, and saw, let’s take a look at how we use these different forms in sentences.

• I can see that we are going to need a lot more chairs.
• We saw a whale swim right under the boat.
• The health inspector was shocked by what she had seen at the restaurant.
• The suspect was last seen traveling north in a red SUV.
• You saw what the team can do even without preparation, and next week you will see how effective they can be with a week of prep time.
• The reporter had seen the eyewitness accounts of the people who claim to have seen the events as they happened.

See how much you have learned with our quiz

Feeling good about your past tense forms? If so, you can take our quiz on these forms of the verb see. Take a look, you may surprise yourself with what you’ve learned!

Today’s two words are different inflections of the same verb, dealing with visual sight. Verb endings and verbs tenses are one of the most confusing topics for English speakers, so don’t feel bad if you need a refresher.

A quick note before we begin, there are other meanings to these words, such as a cutting saw, but, today, we are only going to deal with the sense of visual eyesight.

What is the Difference Between Seen and Saw?

In this post, I want to talk about when to use seen and saw, how each word works in a sentence, and how to make sure you don’t confuse them again.

After reading this post, you should ever again wonder to yourself, “Should I use seen or saw?”

When to Use Saw

Saw is the past tense of the verb see. It forms the simple past, which is used to express an action that has started and finished at a specific time in the past.

• I saw Star Wars yesterday.
• We saw the parade this morning.
• He saw her jogging on the sidewalk in the afternoon.

As you can see with all of these examples, the action that takes place is over and done with. I saw Star Wars yesterday. That event is over and done with; it isn’t ongoing.

There doesn’t always have to be a specific time mentioned in the simple past, but the speaker generally has one in mind.

• The security camera saw the burglars.
• John saw the accident take place.

One important note about saw is that it can be used as a standalone verb; it doesn’t need a helping verb.

• I saw you.
• You saw me.

There is no need for a helping verb, which is important when comparing seen vs. saw.

When to Use Seen

Seen is the past participle of the verb see, and it is used to form the perfect tenses: present perfect, past perfect, etc. If this sounds confusing, don’t worry. I will explain everything below.

The easiest way to tell which word is correct and which is incorrect is that seen must have alongside it a helping verb. Past participles cannot appear by themselves in a sentence.

• I saw the movie. (Correct)
• I seen the movie. (Wrong)

Instead, past participles need what we call helping verbs to form the perfect tenses.

• I seen the movie. (Wrong)
• I have seen the movie. (Correct)

If you see the word seen all by itself, you know a mistake has been made.

Seen with the Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is formed by the words has/have + the past participle.

• I have seen you around here before.
• We have seen all that we need to see.

It is important to note that you cannot use the present perfect tense with specific time expressions.

Instead, it is used to describe an action that has happened at an unspecified time before now or one where the action extends to the present.

• I have seen this happen all my life.

In this example, I am describing a past (and ongoing) event that leads up until the present. In such cases, the participle verb (seen) acts as a connector from the past to the present.

Let’s look at one more example.

• I have seen this play last week. (Wrong)

This example is an incorrect use of the present perfect tense. The verb formation itself is fine (have seen), but last week refers to a specific moment in the past, which the present perfect tense cannot do because there is no connection between the past and present. It is acting as the simple past should and deals with an event that is over, completed, and definite.

Instead, let’s change last week to a different word.

• I have seen this play before. (Correct)

This sentence is correct. The word before is an unspecified time and simply means that you have seen the movie at somewhere in the past up through the present. You could have seen it last week; you could have seen it last year.

The point is, however, that is it unspecific and bridges the gap between the past and the present. At some point between all things past and where we are now, you saw the play.

To see a further explanation of the present perfect tense, click here.

Seen in the Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is formed by the word had + the past participle.

The past perfect tense is used to describe the idea that something occurred before another action in the past.

• I had already seen the movie twice before seeing it tonight.
• I had never seen such a gorgeous landscape before I went to Hawaii.

In other words, if you are talking about a past event and need to go further into the past to talk about something else, that is what the past perfect tense is used for.

Trick to Remember the Difference

The best way to keep track of saw vs. seen is to use the trick I mentioned above.

Saw should never appear with a helping verb in front of it and stands alone.

• I saw you.
• You saw me.

Seen is the exact opposite; it cannot appear without a helping verb and never stands alone.

• I have seen you.
• You have seen me.

The differences in meaning between these two examples are outlined above.

Summary

Is it saw or seen? While these two verbs forms are sometimes mixed up, they are pretty easy to keep track of.

Saw is used with the simple past. It can stand alone and doesn’t appear with helping verbs.

Seen is a past participle and forms the perfect tenses. It cannot stand alone and must always appear with a helping verb.