Before you start
Meet ansehen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 5 meanings
- (transitive, dative reflexive) to look at, to have a look at (taking in information in doing so)
- (transitive) to look at (especially a person; implying eye contact or direction of gaze without analyzing)
- (transitive, figuratively) to regard, to consider, to look on (something in a certain way or having a certain quality) [with als]
- (transitive) to watch (a movie, a television program, sports, etc)
- (ditransitive) to notice, to be able to tell (a quality based on the look of someone/something); to be apparent (with subject and object switched)
Build the meaning
an- + sehen
- an-
- toward or directed at
- sehen
- to see
Direct your sight toward something and keep looking at it.
So ansehen means to look at; to watch.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: an·sehen
In a main clause the prefix an splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseSie sieht den Garten an.She looks at the garden.
Subordinate clauseIch bin froh, weil du dir das Bild ansiehst.I’m glad because you’re looking at the picture.
Participle: angesehenzu-infinitive: anzusehen
Forms
How ansehen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | sehe an | sah an |
| du | siehst an | sahst an |
| er/sie/es | sieht an | sah an |
| wir | sehen an | sahen an |
| ihr | seht an | saht an |
| Sie | sehen an | sahen an |
Partizip II angesehen · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich sehe mir das Foto an.I look at the photo.prefix goes to the end
- 2Wir haben gestern den Film angesehen.We watched the film yesterday.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich bleibe hier, weil wir uns das Haus ansehen.I’m staying here because we’re looking at the house.verb at the end after weil
Verb family
More verbs built on sehen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.