Sit on the chair and sit down

Question

I would like to know if one of these is not correct.

Sit on the chair

Sit down

Sit down on the chair

Is "sit down on the chair" correct?. Thank you.

"....if one of these is....." - --Mariana--, Jun 12, 2010

Answer 1

Sit on the chair = correct

Sit down = correct

Sit down on the chair = correct

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"Sit down in the chair" and "Sit down in that/your chair" are more common.

I should obey you, a native speaker, jeje - Fidalgo, Jun 12, 2010

Yes, they are all correct. "In the chair" is better. - webdunce, Jun 12, 2010

They maybe more commonly phrased that way in the USA but not in England ...please see my post below - FELIZ77, Jun 12, 2010

Right. While both are okay, sitting ON a chair might imply that you were sitting on the back or the arm or something, if you read too much into the phrasing. - MacFadden, Jun 12, 2010

Answer 2

Perhaps there may be some degree of regional variation here but, while I would agree that all of the options are technically correct, in Ireland and the UK, most people would probably feel that there was a difference between " to sit in the chair" and " to sit on the chair". The former implies a big armchair that one might snuggle up in, whereas the latter implies a less comfortable, more upright chair, a dining chair perhaps. (There may also be some correlation with the image of "sitting on the edge of your seat", or being uncomfortable.)

For instance, if we were speaking to a young child, we might say, "Please sit on your chair while we are eating".

If we were talking about the theatre or cinema, however, we would use the word "seat" and the preposition "in", e.g., "I was sitting in my seat for ten minutes before the show began". Perhaps this also refers back to the comfortable armchair idea though, as such seats would formerly have had arms, and often still do.

I assume from the previous replies that you do not have this nuance in American English. I hope that my comments do not confuse Nila (or anyone else!) too much, but I felt that it was worth pointing out the difference.

I agree the correct forms in the uk are somewhat different at times to what is coomnly accepted in USA - FELIZ77, Jun 12, 2010

I mean commonly accepted - FELIZ77, Jun 13, 2010

I mean commonly accepted - FELIZ77, Jun 13, 2010

I mean commonly accepted - FELIZ77, Jun 13, 2010

Answer 3

It's probably regional, but we tend to say sit on that chair more than sit in that chair here in Texas. You don't sit in a chair, you sit on a chair. Mostly you just say "Sit there" or "Sit down".

Same as in UK we would generally say to a child: " Sit on that chair " not in that chair unless it was a soft armchair - FELIZ77, Jun 12, 2010

Answer 4

I think we are talking about not only regional differences here but also national differences between American English and English used in England/UK

In England we would normally/generally say to a child:

"Please sit on that chair" if it were a hard chair

or "Please sit in that chair" = if it referred to a comfortable armchair

Answer 5

"Sit down in the chair" is possible, not "on the chair"

"Sit down on that chair" is also correct. - --Mariana--, Jun 12, 2010

Well, "in the chair" is better, but "on the chair" is not impossible. - webdunce, Jun 12, 2010