Languages ›Spanish
Sentarse Conjugation, Usage, and Examples
Spanish
- Grammar
- Pronunciation
- Vocabulary
- Writing Skills
By
Gerald Erichsen
Gerald Erichsen
Spanish Language Expert
- B.A., Seattle Pacific University
Gerald Erichsen is a Spanish language expert who has created Spanish lessons for ThoughtCo since 1998.
Learn about ourEditorial Process
Updated on February 26, 2020
Sentarse is a common reflexive verb that typically means to sit down or to take a seat.Below you will find the conjugations for all the simple tenses ofsentarse—present and past in the indicative and subjunctive moods, the conditional, the future, and the imperative. Also listed are the present and past participles, which are used for making the compound tenses.
Sentarse: Reflexive Verb
Sentarse comes from the verb sentar, which usually means to sit. Although both can be translated as "to sit," the difference between the two is that the reflexive form sentarse refers to the act of getting into a seated position, while sentar refers to being in a seated position. One way of remembering the difference is to think of sentarse as literally meaning "to seat oneself," since the -se pronoun in reflexive verbs is usually the equivalent of the English "-self."
Sentarse Conjugation
With two exceptions noted below in the imperative mood, sentarse is formed by using the same conjugation assentir and adding the appropriate reflexive pronoun. Sentar in turn is conjugated like most other -ar verbs except that the e in the stem sent- becomes ie when stressed. Dozens of other -ar verbs follow this pattern; the most common of them include cerrar (to close), gobernar (to govern), and pensar (to think).
Be aware that the conjugations of sentar and sentir, usually meaning "to feel," overlap in a few instances. For example, siento can mean either "I sit" or "I feel." Nearly all the time, context will make clear which verb is meant.
Present Indicative Tense of Sentarse
Yo | me siento | I sit down | Yo me siento en la silla. |
Tú | te sientas | You sit down | Tú te sientas con cuidado. |
Usted/él/ella | se sienta | You/he/she sits down | Ella se sienta aquí. |
Nosotros | nos sentamos | We sit down | Nosotros nos sentamos en el sofá. |
Vosotros | os sentáis | You sit down | Vosotros os sentáis para comer. |
Ustedes/ellas/ellas | se sientan | You/they sit down | Ellas se sientan en la cocina. |
Sentarse Preterite
Generally, the preterite is the simple past tense that is used for actions that took place at a specific time. It is usually the equivalent of the English simple past tense typically ending in "-ed" (although "sit" is an irregular verb and doesn't follow that pattern).
Yo | me senté | I sat down | Yo me senté en la silla. |
Tú | te sentaste | You sat down | Tú te sentaste con cuidado. |
Usted/él/ella | se sentó | You/he/she sat down | Ella se sentó aquí. |
Nosotros | nos sentamos | We sat down | Nosotros nos sentamos en el sofá. |
Vosotros | os sentasteis | You sat down | Vosotros os sentasteis para comer. |
Ustedes/ellas/ellas | se sentaron | You/they sat down | Ellas se sentaron en la cocina. |
Sentarse Future Tense
In addition to being used for talking about future actions, the Spanish future tense, as in English, can be used for extremely emphatic commands. Thus "¡Te sentarás!" can be the equivalent of "You will sit down!" as a command.
Yo | me sentaré | I will sit down | Yo me sentaré en la silla. |
Tú | te sentarás | You will sit down | Tú te sentarás con cuidado. |
Usted/él/ella | se sentará | You/he/she will sit down | Ella se sentará aquí. |
Nosotros | nos sentaremos | We will sit down | Nosotros nos sentaremos en el sofá. |
Vosotros | os sentaréis | You will sit down | Vosotros os sentaréis para comer. |
Ustedes/ellas/ellas | se sentarán | You/they will sit down | Ellas se sentarán en la cocina. |
Periphrastic Future of Sentarse
The periphrastic future of sentarse and other reflexive verbs can be formed in two ways. The more common, shown below, is to attach the reflexive pronoun to the infinitive. The pronoun can also be placed before the conjugated form of ir. Thus "me voy a sentar" and "voy a sentarme" are interchangeable.
Yo | voy a sentarme | I am going to sit down | Yo voy a sentarme en la silla. |
Tú | vas a sentarte | You are going to sit down | Tú vas a sentarte con cuidado. |
Usted/él/ella | va a sentarse | You/he/she is going to sit down | Ella va a sentarse aquí. |
Nosotros | vamos a sentarnos | We are going to sit down | Nosotros vamos a sentarnos en el sofá. |
Vosotros | vais a sentaros | You are going to sit down | Vosotros vais a sentaros para comer. |
Ustedes/ellas/ellas | van a sentarse | You/they are going to sit down | Ellas van a sentarse en la cocina. |
Present Progressive/Gerund Form of Sentarse
The gerund of reflexive verbs can be formed in two ways. The more common way, shown here, is to attach the appropriate pronoun to the gerund. The pronoun can also come before estar or the other verb that comes before the gerund. Thus both "estás sentándote" and "te estás sentando" can be used for "you are sitting down."
Gerund ofSentarse:sentándose
Is sitting down ->Ella está sentándose aquí.
Past Participle of Sentarse
When sentarse and other reflexive pronouns are used with forms of haber, the reflexive pronoun comes before haber.
Participle ofSentarse:se ha sentado
Has sat down ->Ella se ha sentado aquí.
Imperfect Indicative Form of Sentarse
The imperfect is a type of past tense. It doesn't have a direct English equivalent, although it is similar in meaning to expressions such as "was sitting" and "used to sit."
Yo | me sentaba | I was sitting down | Yo me sentaba en la silla. |
Tú | te sentabas | You were sitting down | Tú te sentabas con cuidado. |
Usted/él/ella | se sentaba | You/he/she was sitting down | Ella se sentaba aquí. |
Nosotros | nos sentábamos | We were sitting down | Nosotros nos sentábamos en el sofá. |
Vosotros | os sentabais | You were sitting down | Vosotros os sentabais para comer. |
Ustedes/ellas/ellas | se sentaban | You/they were sitting down | Ellas se sentaban en la cocina. |
Conditional Form of Sentarse
Theconditionalformis used to express probability, wonder, or conjecture. It is usually translatedinEnglish as would, could, or must have, followed by the verb.
Yo | me sentaría | I would sit down | Yo me sentaría en la silla si no estuviera rota. |
Tú | te sentarías | You would sit down | Tú te sentarías con cuidado si fuera importante. |
Usted/él/ella | se sentaría | You/he/she would sit down | Ella se sentaría aquí si hiciera sol. |
Nosotros | nos sentaríamos | We would sit down | Nosotros nos sentaríamos en el sofá si fuera barato. |
Vosotros | os sentaríais | You would sit down | Vosotros os sentaríais para comer si hubiera comida. |
Ustedes/ellas/ellas | se sentarían | You/they would sit down | Ellas se sentarían en la cocina si hubiera sillas. |
Present Subjunctive of Sentarse
Que yo | me siente | That I sit down | Cristina prefiere que yo me siente en la silla. |
Que tú | te sientes | That you sit down | Susana quiere que tú te sientes con cuidado. |
Que usted/él/ella | se siente | That you/he/she sit down | Arturo espera que ella se siente aquí. |
Que nosotros | nos sentemos | That we sit down | Valentina quiere que nosotros nos sentemos juntos. |
Que vosotros | os sentéis | That you sit down | Pablo exige que vosotros os sentéis para comer. |
Que ustedes/ellas/ellas | se sienten | That you/they sit down | Mateo desea que ellas se sienten en la cocina. |
Imperfect Subjunctive Forms of Sentarse
There is usually no difference in meaning between the two forms of the imperfect subjunctive. The first one shown below is used more often and is less formal.
Option 1
Que yo | me sentara | That I sat down | Cristina prefería que me sentara en la silla. |
Que tú | te sentaras | That you sat down | Susana quería que tú te sentaras con cuidado. |
Que usted/él/ella | se sentara | That you/he/she sat down | Arturo esperaba que ella se sentara aquí. |
Que nosotros | nos sentáramos | That we sat down | Valentina quería que nosotros nos sentáramos en el sofá. |
Que vosotros | os sentarais | That you sat down | Pablo exigía que vosotros os sentarais para comer. |
Que ustedes/ellas/ellas | se sentaran | That you/they sat down | Mateo deseaba que ellas se sentaran en la cocina. |
Option 2
Que yo | me sentase | That I sat down | Cristina prefería que me sentase en la silla. |
Que tú | te sentases | That you sat down | Susana quería que tú te sentases con cuidado. |
Que usted/él/ella | se sentase | That you/he/she sat down | Arturo esperaba que ella se sentase aquí. |
Que nosotros | nos sentásemos | That we sat down | Valentina quería que nosotros nos sentásemos en el sofá. |
Que vosotros | os sentaseis | That you sat down | Pablo exigía que vosotros os sentaseis para comer. |
Que ustedes/ellas/ellas | se sentasen | That you/they sat down | Mateo deseaba que ellas se sentasen en la cocina. |
Imperative Forms of Sentarse
In the positive imperative form of reflexive verbs, the final letter of the base verb is dropped in the "we" and "plural you" forms before the pronoun is attached. Thus nos is added to sentemo (the accent mark is added to the conjugated form to maintain the correct stress). And the -d is dropped from sentad to avoid confusion with the past participle.
Positive Command
Tú | siéntate | Sit down! | ¡Siéntate con cuidado! |
Usted | siéntese | Sit down! | ¡Siéntese aquí! |
Nosotros | sentémonos | Let's sit down! | ¡Sentémonos en el sofá! |
Vosotros | sentaos | Sit down! | ¡Sentaos para comer! |
Ustedes | siéntense | Sit down! | ¡Siéntense en la cocina! |
Negative Command
Tú | No te sientes | Don't sit down! | ¡No te sientes con cuidado! |
Usted | No se siente | Don't sit down! | ¡No se siente aquí! |
Nosotros | No nos sentemos | Let's not sit down! | ¡No nos sentemos en el sofá! |
Vosotros | No os sentéis | Don't sit down! | ¡No os sentéis para comer! |
Ustedes | No se sienten | Don't sit down! | ¡No se sienten en la cocina! |
Format
mlaapachicago
Your Citation
Erichsen, Gerald. "Spanish Verb Sentarse Conjugation." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/sentarse-conjugation-in-spanish-4174202.Erichsen, Gerald. (2020, August 27). Spanish Verb Sentarse Conjugation. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sentarse-conjugation-in-spanish-4174202Erichsen, Gerald. "Spanish Verb Sentarse Conjugation." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/sentarse-conjugation-in-spanish-4174202 (accessed March 5, 2023).
- Spanish Verb Arrepentirse Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Sentirse Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Acostarse Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Afeitarse Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Explicar Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Quejarse Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Atreverse Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Bailar Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Actuar Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Cambiar Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Mudarse Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Probar Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Casarse Conjugation
- Spanish Verb Despertarse Conjugation
- Divertirse Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, Examples
- Spanish Verb Traducir Conjugation
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.
FAQs
What's the difference between Sentar and Sentarse? ›
“Sentar” is most often seen in its reflexive form “sentarse” which means “to sit down”. It is reflexive because it is something we usually do to ourselves, that is, we sit “ourselves” down. However, if you were ever to “seat” or even to “sit” another person, then you would need the non-reflexive “sentar”.
What is the preterite form of Sentarse? ›Subject Pronouns | Sentarse Conjugation: Preterite | Translation |
---|---|---|
yo | me senté | I sat down |
tú | te sentaste | you sat down |
él/ella/usted | se sentó | he/she/you (formal) sat down |
nosotros/nosotras | nos sentamos | we sat down |
yo | comparto |
---|---|
tú | compartes |
él/ella | comparte |
nosotros/as | compartimos |
vosotros/as | compartís |
We use sentarse to say "to sit" but when the person sits somewhere, for example: I always sit at the back -> Yo siempre me siento detrás. But you can also use "sentar" (non-reflexive) in these contexts: 1.
Is it Sentarse or Siéntese? ›Using “Sentarse” (“To Sit”)
“Siéntate” (see-EN-ta-tay): “Sit!” (informal, singular) “Siéntate” is the informal command form of this verb, used when speaking to a single person (not a group of people).
Antonyms: alzarse, erguirse, levantarse.
Is Sentar preterite or imperfect? ›Using the chart below you can learn how to conjugate the Spanish verb sentar in Preterite tense.
What are the preterite conjugations? ›...
The preterite is used to describe actions which have been completed.
Person | Verbs ending in -ar | Verbs ending in -er and -ir |
---|---|---|
yo | -é | -í |
tú | -aste | -iste |
él, ella, usted | -ó | -ió |
nosotros | -amos | -imos |
How to conjugate the preterite tense. To conjugate a regular verb, you simply: drop the infinitive ending, –ar, –er or –ir. add the preterite ending, according to who's performing the action.
What are the 3 uses of ser? ›- To identify something or someone.
- To describe fundamental qualities and characteristics.
- To talk about nationality or place of origin.
- To speak about professions or occupations.
- To share a religious or political affiliation.
- To tell the hour, day, or date.
What are 10 sentences using ser? ›
- Yo soy rubia. I am blonde.
- Tú eres médico. You are a doctor.
- Él es alto. He is tall.
- Nosotros somos hermanos. We are brothers.
- Mis hermanos son irlandeses.My brothers are Irish.
- Laura y Sarah son francesas. Laura and Sarah are French.
- Ustedes son enfermeros. You are nurses.
To be verb conjugation
In English, we have six different persons: first person singular (I), second person singular (you), third person singular (he/she/it/one), first person plural (we), second person plural (you), and third person plural (they).
- Present (presente)
- Imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)
- Preterite (pretérito indefinido)
- Future (futuro simple or futuro imperfecto)
- Simple conditional (condicional simple or pospretérito)
- Present perfect (pretérito perfecto)
Sentir. In the infinitive form, sentar (to sit) and sentir (to feel) are easy to tell apart. The confusion comes when they're conjugated. Most notably, siento can mean either "I sit" or "I feel." Also, the subjunctive forms of one verb are often the indicative forms of the other.
What are verbs like sentir? ›Similar verbs to sentir include: arrepentirse, lamentar, sentirse.
What is the difference between sentir and sentirse? ›Both sentir and sentirse can be used to mean “to feel” in Spanish, but there is a subtle, key difference between these two verbs. When we describe “what” we feel, we use the verb sentir. When we'd like to describe “how” we feel, on the other hand, we use the reflexive verb sentirse.
What's the opposite of Derecho? ›Spanish | English | English (Opposite) |
---|---|---|
duro | hard | no |
arriba, derecho | up | down |
subir | to go up | to go down |
encima de | on top of | beneath |
The phrase pasarlo bien means to have a good time. To say to have a bad time, use pasarlo mal.
What is the opposite of mucho? ›Opposite of innumerable or incalculable. countable. enumerable. few. limited.
What is the stem change for sentir? ›Sentir is an irregular 'e:ie' stem-changing verb. This means we need to replace the first 'e' with an 'ie' in some of the conjugations. For the reflexive form sentirse, we simply need to add the reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, se) to the conjugations of sentir.
What is the infinitive form of sentir? ›
The infinitive form of the verb is sentir, sentirse. The past participle of sentirse is sentido. The gerund form of sentirse is sintiendo, sintiéndose.
What are the 5 preterite tense endings? ›How do you form the preterite of regular verbs in Spanish? - Easy Learning Grammar Spanish. To form the preterite of any regular -ar verb, you take off the -ar ending to form the stem, and add the endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
What are the 4 irregular verbs in preterite? ›There are just five highly irregular Spanish that you'll need to memorize: ser (to be), ir (to go), ver (to see), dar (to give), and haber (to have – auxiliary). The good news is that ser and ir have identical conjugation, so you'll just need to learn four.
What is the difference between past tense and preterite? ›Preterite vs Imperfect Conjugation Rules
Preterite and Imperfect tenses are both related to the past, but they function differently. The preterite tells you precisely when something happened in the past, while the imperfect tells you in general terms when an action took place with no definite ending.
Generally speaking, the preterite is used for actions in the past that are seen as completed, while the imperfect tense is used for past actions that did not have a definite beginning or a definite end.
What is an example of a preterite tense verb? ›The preterite tense is used to indicate a single, completed action that took place at a specific point in time. For example: Armando me llamó a las nueve. Armando called me at nine o'clock.
What is Spanish past simple tense? ›However, it's important to note that there is no pasado simple in Spanish. Instead, two different tenses exist in Spanish that translate to the simple past in English: el pretérito and el imperfecto. El pretérito is for actions that took place one time.
How do I conjugate in the present tense? ›The conjugation of English verbs in the simple present is relatively simple. We add an -s/-es to verbs in the third person singular (he/she/it), otherwise the verb does not change. In positive sentences, we use the verb in its present form. In negative sentences and questions, we use the auxiliary verb do.
What are the present tense conjugations in Spanish? ›To conjugate or form the present tense in Spanish you remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add a new ending to the stem of the verb. The present endings in Spanish match the subject and verb type (-ar, -er, -ir). The stem is what is left after you remove the -ar, -er, -ir ending.
How do you conjugate French words in the present tense? ›There are three basic conjugations in the present tense, one for verbs whose infinitives end in -er (e.g., regarder, travailler), one for those ending in -re (e.g., répondre, entendre), and one for those ending in -ir (e.g., finir, choisir). In each case the stem is formed by dropping off the infinitive ending.
How do I conjugate a verb? ›
To conjugate a verb, you add unique suffixes to its base verb form. The right suffix depends on the person in a sentence you refer to, who is also known as the subject of the sentence.
What are the 3 conjugations of the verb to be in simple present? ›The present simple of the verb be has three forms: I am. He/She/It is. We/You/They are.
What are the 10 forms of ser? ›- Usted – future.
- Ellas – past simple.
- Tú – imperative, negative.
- Nosotros – present simple.
- Yo – conditional.
- Él – past subjunctive.
- Ustedes – present subjunctive.
- Ella – imperfect.
Pronoun | ser | estar |
---|---|---|
(él/ella/usted) | es | está |
(nosotros/nosotras) | somos | estamos |
(vosotros/vosotras) | sois | estáis |
(elllos/ellas/ustedes) | son | están |
Simply put, ser is used to talk about permanent states, while estar is used to talk about temporary conditions. In English, you would use the verb “to be” for both, but in Spanish they have somewhat different meanings.
What are the 5 verb conjugations? ›All English verbs (except to be) have five forms: base, past tense, past participle, present participle, and third-person singular.
What are the 7 simple Spanish tenses? ›- Present (presente)
- Imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)
- Preterite (pretérito indefinido)
- Future (futuro simple or futuro imperfecto)
- Simple conditional (condicional simple or pospretérito)
- Present perfect (pretérito perfecto)
Simply put, to conjugate an -er verb, drop the -er and add the appropriate ending according to the person and tense. For example, in the present tense you add -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, or -en to the remaining stem after removing -er.
What is the conjugation of regular verbs? ›How do you conjugate a regular verb? Regular verbs can be conjugated to form the simple past form and the past participle forms. A regular verb can be made simple past by, adding an 'ed' to the end of the base form of the regular verb and doubling the last consonant.
What are the er verb conjugations? ›Verbs with infinitives ending in -er form a second group of regular verbs in Spanish, often called second conjugation verbs. To conjugate these verbs in the present tense, drop the -er from the infinitive and add the second conjugation present tense endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -en.