Distinguishing Between Saw & Seen

Saw vs Seen

See is a commonly used English word referring to the act of perceiving through the sense of sight or understanding a point of view. It has several different meanings and contexts. Seen is the past participle of see, while saw is the simple past tense of see. Many English language students get confused between these two forms and use them inappropriately. This article aims to clarify the difference between saw and seen for English language learners.

Seen

Seen is the past participle of see and must be used with an auxiliary verb like has, is, was, have, will be, or had been. Here are some examples to illustrate how it is used in different contexts:

– In the movie, Julia Roberts is seen playing the role of a psychiatrist.
– I have seen this place before.
– The fair has been seen by a record number of people this year.
– I have never seen such a brilliant display of attacking tennis before.

Remember, seen is never used immediately after I, he, she, they, or a person’s name.

Key Takeaways

• Saw is the simple past tense of see, while seen is the past participle of see.
• Saw is used for events or happenings that took place in the past and are now over, whereas seen refers to events that also occurred in the past but not at any definite time.
• Seen is used with an auxiliary verb such as has, have, or had.

Saw

Saw is the past tense of see and should only be used in simple past tense situations. It is used when talking about an event that happened in the past and is now over. Saw refers to a specific moment in the past where you witnessed something happening. Here are some examples to illustrate the use of saw in different contexts:

– I saw the match on TV yesterday.
– I saw my friend on the platform of the station.
– The cat saw the lightening and was terrorized.

Seen vs Saw

– Saw is the simple past tense of see, while seen is the past participle of see.
– Saw is used for an event or happening that took place in the past and is now over, whereas seen is used for an event that also took place in the past but not at any definite time.
– Seen is used with an auxiliary verb such as has, have, or had.