vergessen vs übersehen
German word comparison
Listen to vergessen
Listen to übersehen
| vergessen | übersehen |
|---|---|
ver-GESS-en verb | /ˌyːbɐˈzeːən/ (UE-ber-ZAY-en) verb |
| to forget; to fail to remember or to leave something behind unintentionally | to overlook; to fail to notice or see something. |
How they differ
Übersehen refers specifically to failing to notice something (a visual or attention-based oversight), whereas 'vergessen' refers to failing to remember; the difference is mechanism (not seeing vs. not recalling).
When to use each
When to use vergessen: Prefer 'vergessen' when you mean you cannot remember something or you left something behind because you forgot it.
When to use übersehen: Use 'übersehen' when something was missed because you didn't notice it (for example in a document, a list, or visually in a scene).
Side-by-side examples
- Ich habe die Fußnote vergessen.
(I forgot the footnote.) - Ich habe die Fußnote übersehen.
(I overlooked the footnote.)
Register & nuance: Übersehen is neutral and common in both spoken and written German; it is the typical verb for visual or attentional oversights.