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"to sit down" in seven languages

Meaningto sit down

Spanish

sentarse

/senˈtaɾse/

other source · Vulgar Latin *SEDENTĀRE, from SEDENS 'sitting' (SEDĒRE)

Estar sentado is 'to be sitting'.

French

s'asseoir

/saswaʁ/

other source · Latin ASSIDĒRE 'to sit by' (AD + SEDĒRE)

Être assis is 'to be sitting'.

Italian

sedersi

/seˈdersi/

inherited

Stare seduto is 'to be sitting'.

Portuguese

sentar-se

/sẽˈtahsi/

other source · Vulgar Latin *SEDENTĀRE, from SEDENS 'sitting' (SEDĒRE)

Romanian

se așeza

/se aʃeˈza/

other source · Vulgar Latin *ASSEDIĀRE (from SEDĒRE)

Catalan

seure

/ˈsɛwɾə/

inherited

The prefixed asseure's (ASSIDĒRE, like French s'asseoir) is common too.

English

sit

/sɪt/

Indo-European kin · PIE *sed-

Native sit is a textbook distant cognate of Latin SEDĒRE.

English → Italianto sit downsedersiDistant cognateRelated only through Indo-European, thousands of years back (night ~ noche). But English has relatives: sedentary, session, preside, reside, sediment.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SEDĒRE‘to sit’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

All three are built on SEDĒRE, but only Italian uses the plain verb; Spanish took a longer form from its participle, French a prefixed one. English sit is the same Indo-European root, inherited the Germanic way.

English relatives: sedentary, session, preside, reside, sediment

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esSiéntate, por favor.
  • frAssieds-toi, s'il te plaît.
  • itSiediti, per favore.
  • ptSente-se, por favor.
  • roAșază-te, te rog.
  • caSeu, si us plau.
  • enSit down, please.

More in Core verbs

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