umgesehen

Umgesehen is a German verb form meaning to look around or to scout. It is the past participle of the separable verb umsehen, which is built from um- (around) and sehen (to see). The verb is typically used with a reflexive pronoun: sich umsehen.

In the perfect tense, the participle is used with haben: Ich habe mich umgesehen. In the simple past, it appears as sah mich um (Ich sah mich um). In the present tense, it is Ich sehe mich um. Because umsehen is separable, the prefix um- can move to the end in other tenses or clauses, but the participle form remains umgesehen when used with haben.

Usage and nuance: umsehen is commonly employed when someone is surveying a place or evaluating options, such as a city, a shop, a job market, or housing. Examples include Ich habe mich in der Stadt umgesehen und nichts Passendes gefunden, or Bevor wir entscheiden, müssen wir uns umsehen. It can be used both physically (looking around a location) and metaphorically (exploring possibilities).

Relation to similar terms: umschaunen (or umschauen) is a close synonym. Umschauen emphasizes scanning or glancing around, while umsehen can imply a more deliberate search for something specific. Both are used in everyday language with similar meanings.

Noun usage: das Umsehen can occur in some contexts to refer to the act of looking around, but as a noun it is less common than the verb usage. When used as a noun, it is capitalized in German.