Nachgesehen

Nachgesehen is the past participle of the German verb nachsehen, meaning to look up, check, verify, or inspect. It is a separable verb, so in the present tense the prefix can separate from the stem, as in ich sehe nach (I check). In the perfect tense, German uses the auxiliary haben, yielding ich habe nachgesehen (I have checked / I have looked it up). The past participle nachgesehen is used with the auxiliary, for example: ich habe im Wörterbuch nachgesehen.

Usage and meanings

Nachsehen is used whenever a speaker or writer refers to the act of checking information or status. Common contexts include looking up facts in a reference work, confirming details in a document, or inspecting a situation. Examples: Hast du schon im Handbuch nachgesehen? Ich habe die Daten im Protokoll nachgesehen. It can also appear with directional or source phrases, such as im Lexikon nachgesehen, in der Akte nachgesehen, or bei der Lieferung nachgesehen.

Idiomatic usage

The noun das Nachsehen denotes a disadvantage or being left in a worse position, often expressed in the idiom das Nachsehen haben (to have the short end of the stick, to suffer a setback). For example: Nach der Entscheidung hatten viele das Nachsehen. This usage is distinct from the verb form and relies on different syntactic construction.

Etymology and notes

The prefix nach- adds the sense of “after” or “inquiry after,” shaping the meaning of sehen from “to see” to “to look up/check.” In English, nachgesehen is usually translated as look up or checked; the idiom das Nachsehen has no direct, single-word equivalent in English and is rendered by phrases indicating disadvantage or a setback.

Overall, nachgesehen is a common, versatile form in German for reporting that information has been checked or looked up, with a separate-verb construction and a useful idiomatic noun counterpart.