When do i use saw and seen

Seen is the past participle of see while saw is the simple past tense of see. Many students of English language remain confused between these two forms of see and use one in place of another inappropriately.

This article attempts to make clear the difference between saw and seen to make it easier for learners of English language. It is the past participle of see and must be used with an auxiliary verb has, is, was, have, will be or had been etc.

Please register by filling the details below. Your Preferred Programs. I understand that my data will be held for as long as I am registered with the site and I will continue to receive such communications until I amend my user profile.

I am happy to receive information from universities, our media partners and other 3rd party opportunities. Enter First Name. Enter Last Name. Your email ID. Enter a strong password. Re-Type your password here. Sign Up. Forgot Password. Reset Password. More info Get the grammar checker. Each entry kicks off with a simple explanation and some basic examples before giving real-life, entertaining examples.

Here's the killer bit: All entries end with a clearly worded summary that explains why the grammar point is relevant for a writer. If you like Grammar Monster, you'll love this book. See on Amazon "Grammar for Grown-ups" Vocational rather than academic, "Grammar for Grown-ups" is packed with real-life examples and keeps you engaged with a wealth of great quotations from Homer the Greek to Homer the Simpson.

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. 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. 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. 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.