French Verb Focus: S’Asseoir Or To Sit Down

S’asseoir, to sit down, is not one of the easiest verbs to learn, as it is irregular and reflexive too. Remember that all reflexive verbs form the compound tenses with être, which means of course that the past participle must agree with the subject. I think even some French native speakers find this verb difficult, so bon courage! The most familiar use is of course the imperative, asseyez-vous.

PRESENT TENSE

Je m’assieds – I sit down
Tu t’assieds – you sit down (singular, familiar)
Il s’assied – he/it sits down Elle s’assied – she/it sits down
Nous nous asseyons – we sit down
Vous vous asseyez – you sit down (polite, plural)
Ils s’asseyent – they sit down (m.)
Elles s’asseyent – they sit down (f.)

PERFECT TENSE (PASSE COMPOSE)

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 etes 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 down
Elles se sont assises – they have sat down, they sat down, they did sit down

FUTURE TENSE

Je m’assiérai par terre. – I will sit on the floor.
Tu t’assiéras à côté de nous. – You will sit next to us.
Il s’assiéra en avant. – He will sit at the front.
Elle s’assiéra pendant le voyage. – She will sit down during the journey.
Nous nous assiérons à côté de la fenêtre. – We will sit by the window.
Vous vous assiérez si vous voulez. – You will sit down if you like.
Ils s’assiéront avec leurs amis. – They will sit with their friends.
Elles ne s’assiéront pas. – They will not sit down.

IMPERFECT TENSE

Je m’asseyais toujours sur le canapé. – I always used to sit on the sofa.

CONDITIONAL TENSE

Je m’assiérais s’il y avait de la place. – I would sit down if there were room.

IMPERATIVE

assieds-toi – sit down (tu form)
asseyons-nous – let’s sit down
asseyez-vous – sit down (vous form)

SUBJUNCTIVE

Il faut que je m’asseye. – I must sit down.

With thanks to Elizabeth Allen