I Seen

Let’s discuss using seen without an auxiliary (helping) verb. This error can give most people who hear it a headache.

When I was in second grade, my teacher said See and Saw were two children on a seesaw. They could play independently, but their little brother named Seen could not go to the park and ride the seesaw without help. Doesn’t that story sound childish? It taught me a lesson though that I never forgot.

Your friend said, “I seen.” I’d like to help by listing the possible reasons he said it. Check the ones that apply.

_____He didn’t say “I seen.” You thought you heard him. You were sure he said it. Evidently he said “I’ve seen” so fast the “ ’ve” was inaudible. “I’ve seen” is a contraction meaning “I have seen.”

_____English is his second language. Have you studied Spanish or French? It’s a challenge to use the right verb forms. Your Spanish or French friend may be having the same problem with English.

_____English is your friend’s native language, but he has an inadequate education. It’s never too late though for a person to learn not to say, “I seen.”

_____Your friend is from a part of the country where people speak a dialect that includes “I seen.” Again, it’s never too late to learn standard English.

_____The person saying it may have thought it was cute when he was younger, but now he’s working in the professional world, where it has ceased to be cute.

_____He may have developed a habit of using it to impress a group of speakers who think it’s an acceptable way to talk.

_____His parents may have said “I seen.” He needs to honor them but not by speaking substandard language.

_____For one of the above reasons, your friend has developed the habit. When he needs to communicate, he slips up and says it a time when he’s in a hurry to make a point or state he witnessed something important.

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Are you tempted to correct your friends and coworkers when they say “I seen” or another equally glaring error? Don’t.