There is a lot of difficulty in using the verbs “to see” and “to come”, as there are ways in which the conjugations are very similar and, consequently, cause confusion.
Let's see: the imperfect past tense of the subjunctive begins with the use of the conjunction “if” (indicating a hypothesis) and is characterized by the ending “sse”: if he saw (see), if he came (to come).
The future of the subjunctive begins with the use of the conjunctions "when" or "if", indicative of possibility, and is characterized by the endings “air”, “er”, “go”: when I see it (see), when I come (come).
The biggest doubt arises when the verb “to come” is in the infinitive (to come) and the verb “to see” is in the future of the subjunctive (to come). How to know which one is being employed? Only through context is it possible. Look:
1. If you see him passing here today, give him the message. (to see)
2. Tell him to come to me, please. (come over)
Another occasion is the verb “to come” in the first person plural of the present tense and the verb “to see” also in the first person plural, but in the past perfect tense of the tense. Watch:
1. We come from a very calm place. (come over)
2. We saw you at the mall this week. (to see)
The important thing is to pay attention to the conjugation of the verbs “to see” and “to come”, which, in general, are different, with the exception of the cases mentioned above.
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By Sabrina Vilarinho
Graduated in Letters
Brazil School Team
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Grammar - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
VILARINHO, Sabrina. "See or come? "; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/ver-ou-vir.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.