S’asseoir — to sit down | French Verb Chart
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Présent (Indicatif)
- je m’assiedsI sit down
- tu t’assiedsyou sit down
- il / elle s’assiedhe / she sits down
- nous nous asseyonswe sit down
- vous vous asseyezyou sit down
- ils / elles s’asseyentthey sit down
Passé composé (Indicatif)
- je me suis assis(e)I sat down
- tu t’es assis(e)you sat down
- il s’est assishe sat down
- elle s’est assiseshe sat down
- nous nous sommes assis(es)we sat down
- ils se sont assisthey sat down
Imparfait (Indicatif)
- je m’asseyaisI was sitting down
- tu t’asseyaisyou were sitting
- il s’asseyaithe was sitting
- nous nous asseyionswe were sitting
- vous vous asseyiezyou were sitting
- ils s’asseyaientthey were sitting
Futur simple (Indicatif)
- je m’assiéraiI will sit down
- tu t’assiérasyou will sit
- il s’assiérahe will sit
- nous nous assiéronswe will sit
- vous vous assiérezyou will sit
- ils s’assiérontthey will sit
Conditionnel présent
- je m’assiéraisI would sit down
- tu t’assiéraisyou would sit
- il s’assiéraithe would sit
- nous nous assiérionswe would sit
- vous vous assiériezyou would sit
- ils s’assiéraientthey would sit
Subjonctif présent
- que je m’asseyethat I sit down
- que tu t’asseyesthat you sit
- qu’il s’asseyethat he sit
- que nous nous asseyionsthat we sit
- que vous vous asseyiezthat you sit
- qu’ils s’asseyentthat they sit
Impératif, Participe & Infinitif
- s’asseoirinfinitive
- nous asseyantpresent participle
- en nous asseyantgerund (gérondif)
- assispast participle
- t’assieds · nous asseyons · vous asseyezimperative
- êtreauxiliary in compound tenses
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📘 How to use S’asseoir
- Pronominal + être: past = je me suis assis (m.) / assise (f.) — the participle agrees with the subject.
- Two accepted patterns: assied-/assey- (shown here, most common) OR assois-/assoi- (je m’assois, il s’assoit) — both correct; pick one and stick to it.
- The daily imperative is essential classroom French: Assieds-toi ! / Asseyez-vous ! (Sit down!).
🔑 Key forms
🔊 Common expressions
🇬🇧 S’asseoir: the verb with two complete personalities
S’asseoir — to sit down — is French’s famous double verb: it possesses TWO complete present paradigms, both correct. The classic: je m’assieds, tu t’assieds, il s’assied, nous nous asseyons, ils s’asseyent. The modern: je m’assois, tu t’assois, il s’assoit, nous nous assoyons, ils s’assoient. Style guides lean assieds; daily speech leans assois; every French speaker mixes them and none can tell you the rule they use. The imperative — the form you’ll actually hear — favours the classic: asseyez-vous ! (do sit down), assieds-toi ! The futur inherits both moods (je m’assiérai / m’assoirai); the past settles the argument by avoiding it: je me suis assis(e) — reflexive, être, agreement — one form, no debate.
As a reflexive, s’asseoir distinguishes the ACTION from the state: je m’assieds (I sit down — the movement) vs je suis assis (I am seated — the result, plain être + adjective-participle). English hides that difference in “sit”; French grammar insists on it, and the assis/debout pair (seated/standing) runs classroom instructions nationwide. The non-reflexive asseoir exists for seating others (asseoir un enfant sur une chaise), and the noun un siège (seat) completes the furniture. Drill the pair honestly: asseyez-vous, je m’assois, je suis assise — invitation, action, state — and either paradigm you favour will sound like the choice it legally is.
FAQ
Is it « je m’assieds » or « je m’assois »?
Both — s’asseoir has two full conjugations. Assieds is the classic register, assois the everyday one; the imperative asseyez-vous belongs to the first and everyone uses it.
What’s the difference between « je m’assieds » and « je suis assis »?
Action vs state: je m’assieds = I sit down (movement); je suis assis(e) = I’m seated (position). The past of the action is je me suis assis(e).
How do I politely ask someone to sit?
« Asseyez-vous, je vous en prie » — the full courtesy. Casual: assieds-toi ! To offer a seat: « il y a de la place » or a gesture — France accepts both.
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
polite “please sit down” (vous) = ___ ! (imperative pronominal)
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Asseyez-vous
past (f.): elle s’est ___ (agrees, être)
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assise
to BE sitting (state) = être ___ (not the action)
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assis
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🎯 More practice — conjugation drill — all six tenses
je ___ (S’asseoir — present)
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m’assieds
tu ___ (S’asseoir — passé composé)
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t’es assis(e)
il ___ (S’asseoir — imperfect)
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s’asseyait
nous ___ (S’asseoir — future)
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nous assiérons
vous ___ (S’asseoir — conditional)
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vous assiériez
Go further: Master the present tense — the full beginner guide.
S’asseoir conjugation FAQ
What is the present tense of s’asseoir?
je m’assieds, tu t’assieds, il / elle s’assied, nous nous asseyons, vous vous asseyez, ils / elles s’asseyent. Full charts for every tense are above, each form with audio.
What is the past participle of s’asseoir?
assis(e) — the passé composé is « je me suis assis(e) ». S’asseoir uses être as its auxiliary verb. Because it takes être, the past participle agrees: elle est assise, ils sont assis(e)s.
How do you say s’asseoir in the future tense?
« je m’assiérai » — the future stem never changes across persons, only the endings do.
What does s’asseoir mean in English?
to sit down. It is one of the essential French verbs — drill the present first, then the passé composé; those two tenses carry most conversations.
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🎬 All seven CEFR levels, end to end
« s’asseoir » at every CEFR level — the tense, its forms and the mechanic that makes it stick. Practise it with the free games →