seen

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'seen' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it as a past participle of the verb 'to see' or as an adjective, as in the phrase “I have seen the movie already” or “That's a seen-it-all attitude”.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Sport

Opinion

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Scheduled to make the 1,492km 9277 miles) journey every day except Christmas Day, the A320 plane has seen passengers delayed for as little as two minutes and as long as 12 hours and 18 minutes.

The Guardian - Money

"He's one of the best I've seen.

The Guardian - Sport

That could involve irregular troops, cyber attacks and inflaming tensions with ethnic Russian minorities in nations seen as part of the country's "near abroad" by Moscow.

The Guardian

They are seen as fetters on our freedom of action and finances, but doing little to moderate the behaviour of irresponsible states or to assist our wellbeing as a nation".

The Guardian

"We have lately seen an increase in the number of persons leaving Norway to take part in acts of war, attend training camps or join terrorist networks abroad," the Norwegian authorities said.

The New York Times

Just seen you on the news, can't miss that jacket haha!

The Guardian

"We've seen energy prices going through the roof, and I think we have to get much tougher on regulating these public utilities".

The Guardian - Money

"We have seen detainees' mental and physical health deteriorate in immigration detention and we fear for this man's wellbeing given his existing reported vulnerabilities".

The Guardian

I've seen one.

The Guardian

We have seen this before.

The Guardian - Opinion

It is difficult to have a voice when you're a small organisation like us so this does help us be seen and heard a little bit," he said.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "seen" as the past participle of "see", ensure it is paired with an auxiliary verb such as "have", "has", "had", "was", or "were" to form perfect tenses or passive voice constructions.

Common error

Avoid using "seen" as the simple past tense of "see". The correct form is "saw". For example, use "I saw the movie" instead of "I seen the movie".

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "seen" is as the past participle of the verb "see". It's used to form perfect tenses (e.g., "I have seen it") and passive voice constructions (e.g., "It was seen by many"). Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Sport

15%

Opinion

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Science

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The word "seen" functions primarily as the past participle of the verb "see", as confirmed by Ludwig AI. It's frequently used in news and media, sport, and opinion contexts to describe perception, experience, or witnessing events. While grammatically correct, it's important to avoid using "seen" as the simple past tense, instead opting for "saw". The examples provided by Ludwig showcase its versatile application in forming perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. Related alternatives include "witnessed", "observed", and "noticed", each carrying subtle nuances in meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

witnessed

Implies having been present and observed something, often an event or occurrence.

observed

Suggests careful or attentive watching, often in a scientific or formal context.

noticed

Indicates becoming aware of something, often unexpectedly or incidentally.

perceived

Emphasizes the interpretation or understanding of something through the senses.

viewed

Implies looking at something, often with a particular perspective or opinion.

encountered

Indicates meeting or coming across something, often unexpectedly.

experienced

Suggests personally undergoing or living through something.

detected

Implies discovering or noticing something that is not immediately obvious.

identified

Indicates recognizing or establishing the identity of something.

recognized

Suggests knowing or remembering something from past experience.

FAQs

How to use "seen" in a sentence?

"Seen" is the past participle of "see" and requires an auxiliary verb. Examples: "I have "seen" that movie", "The problem was "seen" by many".

What can I say instead of "seen"?

Depending on the context, you can use "witnessed", "observed", or "noticed" as alternatives to "seen".

Which is correct, "I saw" or "I seen"?

"I saw" is the correct simple past tense form. "I seen" is grammatically incorrect. "Seen" requires an auxiliary verb, such as in "I have "seen"".

What's the difference between "seen" and "saw"?

"Saw" is the simple past tense of "see", used for completed actions in the past. "Seen" is the past participle, used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or passive constructions.