To sign 'seen' (which is the same as 'see'), form a 'V' handshape with your dominant hand. Bring your hand up to your face so your middle finger is near your eye, with your palm facing toward you. Move your hand forward, away from your face.
Sign 'I', 'finish', 'see', 'that', 'movie'. The sign for 'seen' is the same as 'see', but you add 'finish' to show the action is completed.
Sign 'You', 'see', 'my', 'keys', while raising your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question. The context makes it clear you are asking about the past.
Sign 'Today', 'I', 'not-yet', 'see', 'him'. Using 'not-yet' before 'see' perfectly translates the English concept of 'haven't seen'.
Sign 'I', 'finish', 'see', 'that', 'movie'. The sign for 'seen' is the same as 'see', but you add 'finish' to show the action is completed.
Sign 'You', 'see', 'my', 'keys', while raising your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question. The context makes it clear you are asking about the past.
Sign 'Today', 'I', 'not-yet', 'see', 'him'. Using 'not-yet' before 'see' perfectly translates the English concept of 'haven't seen'.
Yes! In ASL, verbs typically don't change their form to show past tense like they do in English. You use the base sign for 'see' and rely on context, or add a time sign like 'finish' or 'past', to indicate that the action already happened.
No, you don't need to actually touch your face or your eye. Bringing the 'V' handshape close to your eye—about an inch or two away—is perfectly fine and will be clearly understood by others.
While beginners sometimes make this direct English translation, the sign for 'see' is strictly used for physical vision. If you want to say 'I see' meaning 'I understand,' you should use the ASL sign for 'understand' instead.
