Sehen often describes visual perception; schauen commonly describes directing your gaze or watching something.
The idea
The distinction overlaps in everyday usage and varies by region, especially for films and television. Learn du siehst and hat gesehen alongside regular schauen and hat geschaut.
| Form / Muster | Beispiel / Gegensatz |
|---|---|
| sehen | ich sehe / du siehst / er sieht |
| schauen | ich schaue / du schaust |
| Perfekt | hat gesehen / hat geschaut |
Examples
- Ich sehe einen Vogel am Fenster.
- Siehst du das Schild dort?
- Wir schauen aus dem Fenster.
- Schau mal nach links!
- Gestern habe ich einen Film gesehen.
- Er schaut jeden Abend die Nachrichten.
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Watch out
Sehen and schauen overlap in some contexts, so avoid an absolute rule about films or television. Sehen is irregular: du siehst, hat gesehen; schauen has regular forms.
Try it yourself
___ du den roten Punkt? (sehen)
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Siehst
Answer: “Siehst”. Check the subject: this verb changes its stem in du and er/sie/es, not generally in the plural.
Ich habe den Turm ___. (sehen)
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gesehen
Answer: “gesehen”. The auxiliary already carries the tense and person; the final verb needs its past participle.
___ mal aus dem Fenster! (schauen, kurze du-Form des Imperativs)
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Schau
Answer: “Schau”. Use the command form for the stated addressee; formal Sie remains after the verb.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ du den roten Punkt? (sehen)
Ich habe den Turm ___. (sehen)
___ mal aus dem Fenster! (schauen, kurze du-Form des Imperativs)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write a two-line conversation around “Ich sehe einen Vogel am Fenster.”. Use the target expression in your reply and make its intended meaning clear.