sedieť
/seɟɪ̯ec/imperfective
The Slovak verb for 'sit' is sedieť.
sedieť is used to describe the state of a person being in a position where the upper body is upright and the legs are supported.
Meaning: of a person, be in a position in which the upper body is upright and the legs are supported (verb)
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between being in the state of sitting and the action of sitting down. Use the imperfective verb sedieť to describe the state of sitting, whereas the perfective verb sadnúť is used for the specific action of sitting down.
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form is sedieť. In the present tense, the third person singular is sedí (he/she/it sits). The masculine singular past tense is sedel (sat).
How do you pronounce it?
/seɟɪ̯ec/
Did you know?
- In Slovak, the verb sedieť is also used to describe how a piece of clothing fits. If a dress sedí well, it means it fits the person perfectly.
- Depending on the context, sedieť can be used to describe a person who is serving time in prison, similar to the English expression 'doing time'.
- The word sedieť shares a deep ancient root with the English word 'sediment'. Both come from the Proto-Indo-European root *sed- meaning 'to sit' or 'settle'.
Examples in context
- Nezostávalo nič iné, len sedieť a čakať.There was no choice but to sit and wait.This sentence is useful for practicing the infinitive form sedieť.Tatoeba #12632347 by Dominika7, translation #243634 by CM
- Sadnite si, prosím.Please, have a seat.
- Možno si sadnúť?May I sit down?
- Sadni si!Sit down!
- Prepáčte, môžem si tu sadnúť, prosím?Excuse me, may I sit here?
Example conversation
Michal and Dana are at a cafe.
- MichalDana, chceš sedieť pri okne?Dana, do you want to sit by the window?
- DanaÁno, to bude veľmi pekné.Yes, that will be very nice.
- MichalTak poďme sedieť tam.So let's sit there.
- DanaDobre, poďme.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sit” translations and entries sedieť, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sedieť, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
