Übersehen

Übersehen is a German verb meaning to overlook, miss, or fail to notice. It can refer to overlooking something that is visible, or to neglecting to consider or include something. The noun form das Übersehen can be used to denote an oversight or omission. In English, the most common equivalents are to overlook or to miss.

Grammatical notes and usage: Übersehen is a transitive verb. In present tense forms you encounter ich übersehe, du übersiehst, er übersieht, and so on. The past participle is übersehen, and the perfect tense is typically formed with haben: ich habe den Fehler übersehen. The simple past is übersah. The passive construction is formed with werden: Es wird übersehen; or Es wurde übersehen. The verb is frequently used with direct objects, for example: Ich habe den Fehler übersehen, Wir haben eine wichtige Details übersehen.

Semantics and context: Übersehen emphasizes a failure to notice or consider something, often due to inattention. It can describe accidental omissions or mistakes, but can also appear in neutral or negative contexts such as editing, inspection, or reporting. It contrasts with überwinden or überblicken, where überblicken means to have an overview or to survey, rather than to miss something. The noun form das Übersehen is more common in formal or descriptive contexts, such as discussions of oversight in procedures or documentation.

Translations and related terms: In English, übersetzen as overlook or miss. Related German terms include übersehen vs. überblicken (to overlook in the sense of having an overview). Common phrases include etwas übersehen (to overlook something) or einen Fehler übersehen (to miss a mistake).