Questions & Answers about Ihr seht ihn oft.
Why do we use ihn instead of er?
ihn is the German word for "him". Because the person is the one being seen (the direct object receiving the action), we have to use the accusative form ihn instead of the subject form er (he).
Who is ihr referring to in this sentence?
Why is the verb conjugated as seht?
It comes from the verb sehen (to see). When the subject is ihr (you plural), you take the verb stem seh- and add -t, making it seht. Note that while sehen has a vowel change for du and er/sie/es (becoming siehst and sieht), it is completely regular for ihr.
Could I say Ihr oft seht ihn like we do in English?
No, because in German statements, the conjugated verb (seht) has a strict rule: it must be in the second position. Additionally, adverbs of frequency like oft (often) generally come after the direct object pronoun (ihn).
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