se ("to see") is one of the most common verbs in Norwegian, and its one tricky feature is something English handles with different verbs. Bare se means see / perceive — passive perception, what reaches your eyes. Add the particle på and it becomes se på = watch / look at — active, deliberate attention. Where English switches verbs (see vs watch / look at), Norwegian keeps the same verb and adds a particle. On top of that, se gives you the everyday goodbye vi ses! ("see you!") and the description verb se ut ("look / appear"). It is strong: preterite så, supine sett.
Conjugation
Class: strong. Auxiliary: ha.
| Tense / mood | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitiv | å se | to see |
| Presens | ser | see(s); am/is/are seeing |
| Preteritum | så | saw |
| Perfektum | har sett | have/has seen |
| Pluskvamperfektum | hadde sett | had seen |
| Futurum | skal/vil se | will see |
| Imperativ | se! | see! / look! |
| Presens partisipp | seende | seeing (sighted) |
The strong preterite: så
se is strong, so the past is så — a single vowel, written with å, the same for every person: jeg så, du så, vi så. Do not write it "saa" (that is the pre-1917 spelling of å) and do not regularise it to "sådde" or "seet." Note it is identical in form to the conjunction så ("then / so") and the adverb — context tells them apart.
Så du filmen i går?
Did you see the film yesterday?
Jeg så henne på bussen i morges.
I saw her on the bus this morning.
Vi så ingen ute på gata.
We saw no one out on the street.
The supine: har sett (double t)
After the auxiliary ha, use the supine sett — with a double t: har sett, hadde sett. As with all common Norwegian verbs, the perfect uses ha. The spelling trap is the double t: not "set," not "seet."
Har du sett ham i dag?
Have you seen him today?
Jeg har aldri sett noe lignende.
I've never seen anything like it.
Sense 1: se = see / perceive
Bare se is passive perception — something registers on your eyes, whether or not you were trying. It answers "what do you see?" rather than "what are you looking at?" This is the see of I see you, I can see the mountains, did you see that?
Jeg ser deg!
I see you! (e.g. spotting someone, or in hide-and-seek)
Ser du fjellene der borte?
Can you see the mountains over there?
Jeg ser ikke noe i mørket.
I can't see anything in the dark.
Sense 2: se på = watch / look at (active)
Add på and the verb shifts from passive perception to active attention: se på = watch / look at. You direct your eyes deliberately at something — a TV programme, a painting, a person. This is the crucial split for English speakers, because English uses separate verbs for it.
- se TV vs se på TV — both occur, but se på TV is the careful way to say actively watch television; se på en film = "watch a film."
- se på meg = "look at me" (direct your gaze at me).
- se på kampen = "watch the match."
Think of it this way: bare se is what your eyes receive; se på is what your eyes do on purpose. English splits this lexically (see → watch / look at); Norwegian splits it with the particle på.
Se på meg når jeg snakker til deg.
Look at me when I'm talking to you. (se på = direct your gaze)
Vi så på en film i går kveld.
We watched a film last night. (se på = watch)
Hva ser du på?
What are you watching / looking at?
Sense 3: se ut = look / appear
se ut means to look / appear (a certain way) — describing how something or someone seems. It pairs with an adjective (se trøtt ut — "look tired") or with som (se ut som — "look like"). Note the word order: the adjective usually slots in between se and ut.
Du ser trøtt ut i dag.
You look tired today. (se ut = appear)
Det ser ut som det blir regn.
It looks like it's going to rain. (se ut som = look like)
Hvordan ser hun ut?
What does she look like?
Other particles and the reciprocal: se etter, se opp, vi ses!
- se etter — "look for / check / keep an eye on": Kan du se etter barna? ("Can you watch / keep an eye on the kids?"); se etter feil ("check for mistakes").
- se opp — "look out / watch out / be careful": Se opp! ("Watch out!").
- se fram til — "look forward to": Jeg ser fram til helga ("I'm looking forward to the weekend").
- ses / sees (reciprocal -s form) — "see each other," the everyday casual goodbye vi ses! = "see you!" Both spellings ses and sees are accepted; ses is the more common everyday form. (informal)
Kan du se etter veska mi mens jeg er borte?
Can you keep an eye on my bag while I'm away? (se etter)
Se opp — det er glatt her!
Watch out — it's slippery here! (se opp)
Takk for i dag — vi ses i morgen!
Thanks for today — see you tomorrow! (vi ses, informal)
Common Mistakes
❌ Jeg seet en film.
Incorrect — se is strong; the preterite is så
✅ Jeg så en film.
I saw a film.
❌ Har du set ham?
Incorrect — the supine has a double t: sett
✅ Har du sett ham?
Have you seen him?
❌ Se meg når jeg snakker.
Means 'perceive me'; for 'look at me' you need the particle på
✅ Se på meg når jeg snakker.
Look at me when I'm talking.
❌ Du ser trøtt.
Incomplete — 'look/appear' needs the particle: se ut
✅ Du ser trøtt ut.
You look tired.
Key Takeaways
- se / ser / så / har sett / se! — strong verb; preterite så (with å, not "saa"), supine sett (double t).
- Bare se = passive see / perceive; se på = active watch / look at. English splits these with separate verbs; Norwegian uses the particle på.
- se ut = "look / appear" (se trøtt ut, se ut som).
- Useful particles: se etter (look for / keep an eye on), se opp (watch out), se fram til (look forward to), and the casual goodbye vi ses! (see you!).
Now practice Norwegian
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