véase

Véase is a cross-reference directive used in Spanish to indicate that the reader should consult another part of the text or another source. It functions similarly to the English "see" or "see also" and is common in scholarly, legal, and reference material.

Grammatical and formal notes: véase is the formal imperative form of the reflexive verb verse (to see oneself), with the clitic se attached. In practice it serves as an impersonal directive meaning "let it be seen" or simply "see." The corresponding plural form for the second-person plural is véanse. In many contexts, it is used without changing meaning, though it can appear after a colon or at the beginning of a sentence.

Usage: Véase is predominantly found in formal writing. It introduces references to figures, tables, sections, or external works. It may be accompanied by modifiers such as también (véase también) to signal an additional cross-reference. While synonymous expressions such as consulte or ver pueden be used in less formal styles, véase remains the standard for cross-referencing in academic and official texts.

Examples:

- Véase la figura 2 para la representación gráfica.

- Para más detalles, véase también la sección 4.

- Véase el índice al final del volumen.

Notes: The accent on é ensures the correct pronunciation and distinguishes it from other forms. While widely understood in Spanish, véase is most effective when used within formal or technical writing and may sound archaic or overly formal in casual contexts.