adminI have decided to write about this “special” verb “s’asseoir” (to sit (oneself) down) because I have noticed that many people don’t know how use it properly. Indeed, “ s’asseoir ” is not one of the easiest verbs to learn, as it is irregular and reflexive too… And on top of that, It also has two complete sets of conjugations! But to make it easier for you to use, I’m only going to show you one set of conjugation which is the more common one.
- In the present tense
| S'asseoir | To sit (oneself) down |
|---|---|
| Je m'assieds | I sit down |
| Tu t'assieds | You sit down |
| Il /elle/on s'assied | He/she/one sits down |
| Nous nous asseyons | We sit down |
| Vous vous asseyez | You sit down |
| Ils /elles s'asseyent | They sit down |
- In the passé composé
| S'asseoir | To sit (oneself) down |
|---|---|
| Je me suis assis(e) | I have sat down, I sat down, I did sit down |
| Tu t'es assis(e) | You have sat down, you sat down, you did sit down |
| Il s'est assis | He/it has sat down, he/it sat down, he/it did sit down |
| Elle s'est assise | She/it has sat down, she/it sat down, she/it did sit down |
| Nous nous sommes assis(es) | We have sat down, we sat down, we did sit down |
| Vous vous êtes assis(e)(es) | You have sat down, you sat down, you did sit down |
| Ils se sont assis | They have sat down, they sat down, they did sit |
| Elles se sont assises | They have sat down, they sat down, they did sit down |
Notice that we use “être” in the passé composé because it’s a reflexive verb.
- The most familiar use is of course in the imperative form!
Assieds-toi – sit down (tu form)
Asseyons-nous – let’s sit down
Asseyez-vous – sit down (vous form)
Note that in the negative form, you have to say:
Ne t’assieds pas!
Ne nous asseyons pas!
Ne vous asseyez pas !