sentarse en la silla
/sentaɾse en la siʝa/from spelling rules
To sit in chair in Spanish is sentarse en la silla.
This phrase is used to describe the action of lowering one's body into a seated position on a chair.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the reflexive verb sentarse (to seat oneself) and the prepositional phrase en la silla (in/on the chair).
Which one should you use?
You may also use Tome asiento en la silla to say 'take a seat in the chair'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When giving a command to a friend or someone you know well, use the informal imperative siéntate en la silla. When giving a command to a stranger or in a formal setting, use the formal imperative siéntese en la silla.
How do you pronounce it?
/sentaɾse en la siʝa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying sentar en la silla. English speakers often omit the reflexive pronoun, but sentar without the reflexive pronoun means 'to seat someone else' rather than 'to sit oneself down'.
Did you know?
- The word silla shares a common ancestor with the English word 'saddle'.
- Spanish distinguishes between the act of moving into a seat sentarse and the state of already being seated estar sentado.
- If you say sentar la silla instead of sentarse en la silla, you are grammatically implying that you are seating the chair itself.
Examples in context
- ¡Oye, siéntate en esa silla!Hey, take a seat over there!
- Por favor, siéntate en la silla.Please, sit in the chair.
- Él quiere sentarse en la silla de madera.He wants to sit in the wooden chair.
- Ella va a sentarse en la silla de la cocina.She is going to sit in the kitchen chair.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, la, silla, CC BY-SA 4.0.
