"i have not seen" vs "i had not seen"

Question

"i have not seen" vs "i had not seen"

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "I have not seen" is used to talk about something that has not been seen up to the present moment, while "I had not seen" is used to talk about something that had not been seen at a specific point in the past.

Last Updated: March 08, 2024

Use "I have not seen" when you want to express that you have not seen something up to the current time.

Examples:

I have not seen that movie yet.
She has not seen her friend for a long time.
Have you seen the new building? - No, I have not seen it.
He has not seen the email you sent him.
They have not seen the results of the test.

Alternatives:

I haven't seen
I've not seen

Use "I had not seen" when you want to express that you had not seen something at a particular time in the past.

Examples:

I had not seen that movie before last night.
She had not seen her family for years when she finally visited them.
He said he had not seen the report you mentioned.
They had not seen each other since they graduated.
I had not seen such a beautiful sunset in a long time.

Alternatives:

I hadn't seen

Answer 1

i have not seen

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that something has not been seen up to the present moment.

Answer 2

i had not seen

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that something had not been seen at a specific point in the past.

"i have not seen" vs "i had not seen"

i have not seen

i had not seen

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