see
part of speech
verb (see, sees, saw, seen, seeing); in casual speech «see» also as «seen» for «saw» (nonstandard: «I seen it»)
meaning for a pupil
1) To see is to notice something with your eyes: I see a bird. tree →
2) To see is to understand: I see what you mean. tree →
3) To see someone is to meet or visit them: see the doctor. tree →
4) To see is to find out: Let's see what happens. tree →
5) «See you» means goodbye, I'll meet you again. tree →
6) To see someone (casual) is to go out with them as a boyfriend or girlfriend: «Is she seeing anyone?». tree →
7) To see to something is to take care of it: «I'll see to the dishes». tree →
8) «See ya», «see ya later», «laters» (slang) are short ways to say goodbye. tree →
9) «See?» or «See!» (casual, often rude) means «I told you so». tree →
10) (formal) «See» in a book or exam means «look at that part»: «see page 4», «see below»; formal writing prefers «observe» and «it can be seen that». tree →
sense in the lessons
what is on the table now («What do you see on the table?» = list what is there after all the changes); in science observing («What did you see when you mixed them?»); in everyday life «See you later», «Let me see», «see a film»; in casual talk «see ya», «seen it», «see what I mean?», «you'll see», «wait and see»; in rough talk «See? Told ya» and «I'll see you outside» (a threat to fight, take it seriously and tell an adult); in the exam voice «as can be seen from the table», «observe that», «see Figure 2»; in safety «see and be seen» (wear bright clothes at night)
examples
- What do you see on the table? tree →
- Max sees 6 birds on a tree and 3 birds on the ground. tree →
- Anna saw 12 cars in the morning and 5 in the afternoon. tree →
- Can you see the moon tonight? tree →
- I see! Now I understand. tree →
- I'm going to see my grandma on Sunday. tree →
- See ya tomorrow, mate! tree →
- See? Told ya it was 12, not 10. tree →
- I seen him take 3 biscuits (nonstandard: «I saw»). tree →
- Mum says she'll see to the washing-up. tree →
- As can be seen from the table, the aggregate number of birds observed was 9. tree →
- Wear something bright so drivers can see you. tree →
- "I have never seen you before." tree →
note
Carries no operation clue; to answer «what do you see», list what is there now, after all the changes. Trap: «sees 6 here and 3 there» gives two parts, often to add. Past «saw», past participle «seen»; «I seen it» is common in casual talk but wrong in school writing. «See you outside» from an angry kid is a threat, not a goodbye. «Observe» in an exam means the same as «see» or «notice». Do not mix «see» with «sea» (the ocean): they sound the same.
In the corpora
- Most grown-ups keep their money in a bank account, and most of it is never seen as notes and coins.
- Much housework is invisible, like booking appointments and planning meals, so each grown-up may not see what the other does.
- A scan picture is made by a machine that uses sound waves to see the baby inside the body without hurting.
- When grown-ups are ill, they usually see the GP, the family doctor at the local surgery.
- Non-urgent appointments can be weeks away because doctors have more patients than time; urgent problems are seen sooner.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «see» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.