s'asseoir
The English phrase 'sit' translates to French using s'asseoir. Wiktionary also lists être assis and être assise.
Meaning: of a person, be in a position in which the upper body is upright and the legs are supported (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| s'asseoir | |
| être assis | masculine |
| être assise | feminine |
In French, the way you express sitting depends on whether you are describing the physical action of sitting down or the state of being already seated.
Which one should you use?
The verb s'asseoir describes the movement or the action of sitting down. In contrast, être assis is used to describe the state of being seated.
How does it change in a sentence?
s'asseoir is a pronominal (reflexive) verb, which means it must be used with a reflexive pronoun such as se, s' or nous. If you are describing the state of being seated using the adjective assis, you must agree the word in gender with the subject: use assis for masculine and assise for feminine.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use s'asseoir to describe the state of already being seated. Instead, you should use être assis to describe that state.
Did you know?
- The term Assises refers to a high court in France, which literally means 'the sittings' or 'the seats'.
- When telling a dog to 'sit', a French speaker uses the command assis instead of the verb s'asseoir.
- The verb s'asseoir is one of the few remaining verbs in French that has two different ways to be conjugated in the present tense.
Examples in context
- Il va s'asseoir ici.He's going to sit here.This sentence demonstrates the use of s'asseoir to indicate a future action.Tatoeba #3273447 by Micsmithel, translation #3273446 by CM
- Il peut s'asseoir ici.He can sit here.This sentence shows how to use s'asseoir with a modal verb to express permission or ability.Tatoeba #13388267 by lbdx, translation #8478869 by CH
- Elle le força à s'asseoir.She forced him to sit down.This sentence illustrates the use of s'asseoir in the context of being forced to sit down.Tatoeba #1339614 by sacredceltic, translation #887120 by CK
- Asseyez-vous, s'il vous plaît.Please, have a seat.
- Prenez place dans la salle de réunion.Take a seat in the conference room.
- Assieds-toi et raconte-moi tout.Sit down and tell me everything.
- Je vous en prie, asseyez-vous pour voir mieux.Please, have a seat to see better.
- Assieds-toi confortablement, le spectacle va commencer.Sit down comfortably, the show is about to begin.
- Asseyez-vous tous autour de la table, s'il vous plaît.Please, have a seat around the table, everyone.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sit” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
