Today’s Spanish word of the day is “sentar”.
It’s a verb that can mean “to sit”, “to seat”, “to set”, “to suit” or “to agree with”. In the reflexive form (“sentarse”), it means “to sit down”.
The verb “sentar” is irregular. Here’s the conjugation in the present tense:
- Yo siento – I sit
- Tú sientas – You sit (informal singular)
- Él/Ella/Usted sienta – He/She sits / You sit (formal singular)
- Nosotros sentamos – We sit
- Vosotros sentáis – You sit (informal plural, only used in Spain)
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes sientan – They/You sit (plural)
It’s easy to confuse the verb “sentar” (“to sit”) with “sentir” (“to feel”). They are both conjugated the same way in the first-person singular (“siento”). However, they are different verbs words, and are conjugated differently for other subjects and tenses. You can usually tell whether “siento” means “I sit” or “I feel” based on the context.
The verb “sentar” comes from Latin sedentare, meaning “to take seat”. This is also the root of the English word “sedentary”.
Example sentences
Siéntate, por favor.
Sit down, please.
Nos sentamos en el parque a descansar.
We sat in the park to rest.
Siempre se sienta en la misma silla.
He always sits in the same chair.
Esto no me sienta bien.
This doesn’t sit well with me.
Ese color te sienta muy bien.
That color looks very good on you (it suits you a lot).
