te sientas
/te sjentas/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "you sit" is te sientas.
This phrase refers to the second person singular form of the verb used to describe the act of placing one's body on a seat.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is reflexive. The te indicates that the subject is performing the action of sitting upon themselves.
Which one should you use?
While te sientas is used for the informal "you sit", the form se sientan should be used when addressing a group of people ("you all sit").
Did you know?
- In some Latin American cultures, telling someone siéntate (the command form of te sientas) can sound overly aggressive or like a command given to a pet, whereas toma asiento is a polite alternative.
- Because te sientas is reflexive, saying it without the te can change the meaning entirely from 'you sit' to 'you feel' or 'you sense'.
- While te sientas describes the act of sitting, the phrase estás sentado is used to describe the state of already being seated. Spanish distinguishes between the action of sitting and the resulting position.
Examples in context
- ¿Por qué no te sientas?Why don't you sit down?This sentence is useful for asking why someone is not sitting down using te sientas.Tatoeba #4786464 by alegarvid, translation #2210884 by CK
- ¿Por qué no te sientas aquí?Why don't you sit here?This sentence is useful for asking someone to sit in a specific location using te sientas.Tatoeba #4463208 by cueyayotl, translation #2210886 by CK
- ¿Por qué no te sientas y te relajas?Why don't you sit down and relax?This sentence is useful for suggesting someone sit down and relax using te sientas.Tatoeba #2005812 by marcelostockle, translation #243626 by CK
- Por favor, usted se sienta en la silla.Please, you sit in the chair.
- Siéntate en el sofá, por favor.Sit on the couch, please.
- Siéntate a mi lado y hablemos.Sit next to me, and let's talk.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are waiting for a bus at a stop.
- SofíaHay un banco libre, ¿por qué no te sientas?There is a free bench, why don't you sit down?
- MateoNo quiero, prefiero esperar de pie.I don't want to, I prefer to wait standing up.
- SofíaPero te sientas más cómodo si descansas.But you sit more comfortably if you rest.
- MateoTienes razón, me sentaré un momento.You are right, I will sit for a moment.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
