Question
I was wondering how to say "sit down" in Spanish...one person told me it is sientense but someone else told me sentarse. Can anyone tell me the difference and if either is correct'
14 Answers
How about just "sit" when you are irritated with your child? Training my dog I am not going to say "Sit down!" but just "Sit!".
Yes, we say "sit" that way, but it is definitely stronger than "sit down," so use it with care.
Natasha said:
Folks, DON'T ANSWER threads without descriptive titles! If one of the administrators sees the title and deletes the thread, you'll just be frustrated that your time, expertise, and effort have been wasted.Laura, your title should be something like this: "sentarse or sientense". Please see the forum rules.
I would appreciate this a lot. As there we go again, another thread with just "question" as a title...no use at all for searches.
látigo said:
Does that mean that we are treating our child like a dog? jeje
When I first studied French, I was told that the informal form of address (tu) was not usual in normal speech but, rather, when addressing small children and pets. A high school teacher of Spanish told me much the same thing but after about 48 hours in Mexico, I realized that she was an idiot and knew nothing about how Spanish was really spoken.
How about just "sit" when you are irritated with your child? Training my dog I am not going to say "Sit down!" but just "Sit!". Does that mean that we are treating our child like a dog? jeje
James Santiago said:
lazarus1907 said:
Shouldn't you say "to sit down" when you are referring to the verb itself? At least that's what I was taught when I began to learn English.
Strictly speaking, yes, but that "rule" is widely ignored by native speakers (if they are even aware of it).
>
Folks, DON'T ANSWER threads without descriptive titles! If one of the administrators sees the title and deletes the thread, you'll just be frustrated that your time, expertise, and effort have been wasted.
Laura, your title should be something like this: "sentarse or sientense". Please see the forum rules.
lazarus1907 said:
Shouldn't you say "to sit down" when you are referring to the verb itself? At least that's what I was taught when I began to learn English.
Strictly speaking, yes, but that "rule" is widely ignored by native speakers (if they are even aware of it).
Shouldn't you say "to sit down" when you are referring to the verb itself? At least that's what I was taught when I began to learn English.
True. I guess the question is not that clear, then.
lazarus1907 said:
However, as I said before, "Sentarse" would not be accepted formally, in exams, academical circles, or in the classroom. Despite its popularity in spoken Spanish, it is regarded almost like "I don't like no game" in English; you hear it all the time, but grammars say your shouldn't.
We may be answering different questions here. The original post said "I was wondering how to say "sit down" in Spanish," which I interpret to mean "how to say the verb 'sit down.'" You seem to interpret it to mean "how to say the command "Sit down.'" Both interpretations are possible.
However, as I said before, "Sentarse" would not be accepted formally, in exams, academical circles, or in the classroom. Despite its popularity in spoken Spanish, it is regarded almost like "I don't like no game" in English; you hear it all the time, but grammars say your shouldn't.
O.K. - I see now. Thank you James.
Both are correct, but are different conjugations. Siéntense is the third-person plural imperative form (Sit down (you guys)), while sentarse is the infinitive form. "Ella quiere sentarse" = "She wants to sit down"
Double-click on sentarse here and you'll see the conjugations.
Thank you lazarus. Mystery solved 
"Siéntese" is correct, and frequently used.
"Sentarse" is not considered formally correct, but it is commonly used. However, "¡A sentarse!" is accepted, but it sounds bossy (it is similar to "Time to sit down!", but more like a command)
