sehn

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• senn, siehn, sinn
• gesinn

Etymology

From Old High German *sian, northern variant of sehan. The distribution of the forms sehn and siehn in the dialects is in line with the general distribution of -ē- and -ī- for Old High German -io-, -ia-. Compare the same contraction in Old Dutch sian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zeːn/

Verb

sehn (third-person singular present süht or seiht or sitt, past tense sooch, past participle jesehn or gesehn)

1. (Ripuarian, northern Moselle Franconian) to see

   Dat süht doch ene Blende!

   A blind man could see that!

Usage notes

• The traditional principle parts are süht, sooch, jesehn in Ripuarian and seiht, sooch, gesehn in Moselle Franconian. The present form sitt is a younger variant in some dialects.

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German

Verb

sehn

1. (colloquial, poetic, dated in formal prose) Alternative form of sehen

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Low German

Alternative forms

• seihen, seihn; substantivised Seihen) (Westphalian: Paderbornisch)
• seihn, seihen (Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch)

Etymology

From Middle Low German sên, from Old Saxon sehan, from Proto-Germanic *sehwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to see”). Compare German sehen, Dutch zien, English see, Danish se.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seːn/, /sɛɪn/, /seɪn/, /zeːn/, /zɛɪn/, /zeɪn/
• IPA^(key): /s̺eːn/, /s̺ɛɪn/, /s̺eɪn/, /s̺ɛːn/

Verb

sehn (third-person singular simple present süht, past tense seeg, past participle sehn, auxiliary verb hebben)

1. (intransitive) to see; to look

   op wat sehn ― to look at something

   na wat sehn ― to look for something

2. (intransitive, with na) to take care (of something or someone); to look (after someone)
3. (transitive) to see (something); to view; to watch; to observe; to look at
4. (transitive) to notice; to perceive; to realize
5. (reflexive with a plural subject or transitive) to meet; to go to see

Conjugation

Conjugation of sehn (class 5 strong verb)

infinitive	sehn
indicative	present	preterite
1st person singular	seh	seeg
2nd person singular	sühs(t)	seegs(t)
3rd person singular	süh(t)	seeg
plural	seht, sehen	segen
imperative	present	—
singular	seh
plural	seht
participle	present	past
	sehn	(e)sehen, gesehen
Note: This conjugation is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.

Further forms:

• Preterite: plural seegen, seegn

Derived terms

• Sehn