vorsehen

Vorsehen is a German verb with meanings related to forethought and allocation. Etymologically, it comes from vor- “before” and sehen “to see,” originally denoting looking ahead. In contemporary use the verb covers two main senses: to foresee or anticipate, and to provide for, designate, or plan within a legal, administrative, or contractual text.

In the sense of foresight, the related verb voraussehen (or voraussehen in some usages) is often employed to describe anticipated developments or risks. For example, one might say that “Es lässt sich eine Entwicklung voraussehen” to indicate something can be foreseen.

In the sense of providing for or stipulating, vorsehen appears frequently in formal language. A typical construction is “Der Vertrag sieht vor, dass …,” meaning “The contract provides that …” or “The contract stipulates that …” The phrase “Es ist vorgesehen …” is also common, conveying that something is planned or scheduled within a rule or arrangement.

Past participle and morphology: the participle is vorgesehen and is used adjectivally or in passive clauses, e.g., “die vorgesehenen Mittel” (the funds that are provided for) or “Es ist vorgesehen, dass …” (It is provided that …).

Usage notes: vorsehen is common in legal, administrative, and corporate language. It is distinct from voraussehen, which emphasizes prediction more than codification, and from Vorsorge, meaning precaution or preparation.

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