Breakdown of Я уже где-то его видел.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
я
I
видеть
to see
уже
already
где-то
somewhere
Questions & Answers about Я уже где-то его видел.
How does adding -то to где change its meaning here?
The suffix -то turns question words into indefinite 'some-' words. Since где means 'where', где-то means 'somewhere'. It shows the action happened in a place, but you cannot pinpoint exactly where.
Is его in the genitive or accusative case in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb видел (saw). For the pronoun он (he), the accusative form is его (him). It looks identical to the genitive form, but its job here is different.
Could I put его at the end of the sentence instead?
Yes, Я уже где-то видел его is also completely correct. Russian word order is flexible. Putting его before the verb makes the sentence flow smoothly and puts a slight focus on the action of seeing, while putting it at the end would put a tiny bit more focus on the person you saw.
Why use the imperfective verb видел instead of the perfective увидел?
When you state a general fact or past experience (like saying 'I have seen him before'), Russian typically uses the imperfective видел. The perfective увидел is usually used for a sudden, completed action, like 'I caught sight of him'.
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