Never saw you before vs Never see you before

The correct phrase is "never saw you before." "Saw" is the past tense form of the verb "see". In this case, it is used in the negative form to indicate that the speaker did not see the person before. The phrase "never see you before" is incorrect because it combines the present tense with the word "before," which is not grammatically accurate.

Explained by Jennifer
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: March 18, 2025 • 5291 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"Never saw you before"

This phrase is used to express that the speaker did not see the person before in the past. It is in the past tense form of the verb "see."

Examples:

I never saw you before yesterday.
She said she never saw you before the party.
He never saw you before he moved to this town.
They never saw you before you started working here.
We never saw you before you joined the club.

Show examples from the web [+]

The hell you're not. I never saw you before six weeks ago.
I loved you when I first saw you, I always have, though I never saw you before.
I never saw you before in my life. Dr Russell.
I never saw you before!
We never saw you before, lady.
I never saw you so before.
Now, I know that I never saw you here before.
I never saw you working here before.
I never saw this before you showed it to me.
I never saw you working here before. I mean, it's my first time here at Corwin's.
Lem, you just said you never saw him before.
I never saw this before you showed it to me.
I never saw you lovely young ladies before.
I'm a human Maybe you never saw one before
George, you never saw me before in your life.
You wonder how it is you never saw it before.
Scully... I never saw you as a mother before.
Okay. You never touched the gun, you never saw it before, fine.
I thought you never saw them before.
I never saw you in my shoes before, but we're in trouble!

This phrase is incorrect in English.

"Never see you before"

Show examples from the web [+]

Never see you before.
Nice boys out there never see performance before like tonight.
I never see her before. OK.
Si, como eight or nine others I never see before, but all the same to me, you know?
How did I never see it before?
Never seen you before, never see you again.
Never seen you before, never see you again.
What do you say you see our never-before-seen grand finale?
Not only that, but we'll see things never before revealed: how they live, sleep, what they eat...
leave before breakfast and never see you again.
leave before breakfast and then never see you again.
I fear I shall never see you're outside world.
I never see you during the day Penny.
I began to think I should never see you.
I never see you out of those clothes.
Depending on today's meet... we may never see you again.
I might never see you again.
Nasty man, we'll never see you again.
No, I mean I never see you.
I never see you guys around.

Our Customers Love Us!

We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283125 votes, and

4.9 Excellent - Reviews 2.137

"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"

Zubair
from Bangladesh

"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"

Arturo
from Mexico

"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."

Selena
from USA

"Wow, it's just so excellent. I never would have believed I could have a sure and excellent English companion. Thanks, TextRanch."

Ifiok
from Nigeria

"This is my first time using TextRanch, and I like how the editors take time to correct my text. To everyone who has never used TextRanch before, I highly recommend trying it."

Wilson
from France

"It is an amazing source of feedback because, as a non-native speaker, I really need to have a reliable helper correct my text."

Susan
from Germany

Never saw you before vs Never see you before

"Never saw you before"

"Never see you before"

Related Comparisons