sitta
/²sɪta/
The English verb sit is sitta in Swedish.
sitta is used to describe a person being in a position in which the upper body is upright and the legs are supported. The phrase sitt ner means 'sit down'.
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?
In Swedish, sitta describes the state of being seated, whereas sätta is used for the action of placing or setting something down.
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form is sitta. The present tense is sitter (sits / is sitting), the past tense is satt (sat) and the supine form is sittit (sat / has sat).
How do you pronounce it?
/²sɪta/
Did you know?
- Swedish uses sitta to describe how clothes fit. If a garment 'sits' well, it means the fit is flattering or correct.
- Unlike English where 'sit' is almost always for people or animals, in Swedish, you use sitta to describe things like 'the clock sitting on the wall' in certain idiomatic contexts.
- The English word 'sit' and the Swedish sitta share the same ancient root, stemming from the Proto-Indo-European 'sed-'.
Examples in context
- Kan vi sitta här?Can we sit here?This sentence is useful for asking if it is possible to sit in a specific location using sitta.Tatoeba #3712262 by herrsilen, translation #3222932 by CK
- Kan du sitta rak?Can you sit up?This sentence is useful for asking someone to sit up straight using sitta.Tatoeba #4323791 by richke, translation #3222928 by CK
- Kan jag sitta ned?Can I sit down?This sentence is useful for asking permission to sit down using sitta.Tatoeba #1998371 by herrsilen, translation #1886273 by CK
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alice and Lucas are at a cafe.
- AliceVill du sitta vid det här bordet?Do you want to sit at this table?
- LucasJa, jag vill gärna sitta här.Yes, I would love to sit here.
- AliceBra, jag hämtar kaffe till oss.Good, I will get coffee for us.
- LucasTack, det låter jättebra.Thanks, that sounds great.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sit” translations and entries sitta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sitta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
