rot sehen
to see red; to fly into a rage
Origin
Red has always been the colour of anger and arousal; the phrase probably draws on the image - popularly linked to bullfighting - of rage coming over the furious person 'red'. In German 'to see red' has been common since the 19th century.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Genitive (introduction: des/der + -s)Genitiv (Einführung: des/der + -s)
- 'werden' as a full verb (to become)'werden' als Vollverb (etwas werden)
- The genitive: possession and genitive articlesDer Genitiv: Possession und Genitivartikel
- Participle I as an adjectivePartizip I als Adjektiv
- Simple past 'wollte' (wanted to, from wollen)Präteritum 'wollte' (wollen)
- Subordinate clause with 'weil' (because, causal)Nebensatz mit 'weil' (Kausalsatz)
Examples
Wenn ihn behandelt, sieht er .
If you treat him unfairly, he sees red at once.