Sightsee

[ROBINDESBOIS]

Can the verb to sightsee used in verb tenses different form progressive?

[Perikles]

no.

[pjt33]

Can the verb to sightsee used in verb tenses different form progressive?
No creo que exista el verbo to sightsee. Sightseeing creo que es un sustantivo formado por dos sustantivos, y el diccionario Oxford está de acuerdo por lo menos en que sea un sustantivo.

[Perikles]

No creo que exista el verbo to sightsee. Sightseeing creo que es un sustantivo formado por dos sustantivos, y el diccionario Oxford está de acuerdo por lo menos en que sea un sustantivo.This is what I was wondering. Would you say that "they were sightseeing in China" is incorrect? I hate it when nouns are verbed.

[chileno]

This is what I was wondering. Would you say that "they were sightseeing in China" is incorrect? I hate it when nouns are verbed.

Unfortunately, that's the way it is used more often.

[pjt33]

This is what I was wondering. Would you say that "they were sightseeing in China" is incorrect? I hate it when nouns are verbed.
I ran through a number of possible sentences before making my previous post, but not that one, and I agree that there it does seem natural and hard to analyse as anything other than a verb. Having taken a quick look through BNC I found at least one instance where it was used as an adjective, too.

[CrOtALiTo]

The verb sightsee means Excursionista right?

How may you the verb in different verbs then?

[Perikles]

The verb sightsee means Excursionista right?Well, Excursionista is a noun. Sightsee only seems to be a verb when used as 'sightseeing". You can't say ":bad:I shall sightsee tomorrow" but you can say "I was sightseeing yesterday".

And you definitely can't say ":bad:Yesterday I sightsaw" :D:D:D

[wrholt]

On this side of the Pond we usually use "to go sightseeing", and sometimes we say "to do (some) sightseeing" or "to be sightseeing". There is no verb "to sightsee", although we do use the expression "to see the sights".