The Present Tense of sentarse is used to describe actions happening right now or habitual actions. For example, Me siento en el sofá para ver la televisión. (I sit on the couch to watch TV.)

Sentarse is an e to ie stem-changing verb. In the present tense, the e changes to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Sentarse (to sit down) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Sentarse generally means to sit down or take a seat, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To sit down or take a seat, for example, Yo me siento en la silla. (I sit down on the chair.)

Figurative meaning: To settle or establish oneself somewhere, for example, La empresa se sienta en esta ciudad. (The company settles in this city.)

Slang meaning: To sit down and relax, often implying laziness or lack of motivation, for example, Él se sienta todo el día viendo televisión. (He sits around all day watching TV.)

Idiomatic meaning: To fit or suit someone well, for example, Ese trabajo se le sienta bien. (That job suits him well.)

Rude meaning: In some contexts, it can be used as a vulgar way to tell someone to sit down and shut up, for example, ¡Siéntate y cállate! (Sit down and shut up!)

Examples

Examples of Sentarse in the Present Tense

Cuando llego a la oficina, me siento en mi escritorio. (When I arrive at the office, I sit down at my desk.)

¿Por qué te sientas tan lejos de la pantalla? (Why are you sitting so far from the screen?)

Cada mañana, me siento en el parque a leer el periódico. (Every morning, I sit in the park to read the newspaper.)

En la clase de yoga, te sientas en posición de loto. (In yoga class, you sit in the lotus position.)

Antes de salir, me siento a revisar mi correo electrónico. (Before leaving, I sit down to check my email.)

¿Por qué te sientas tan cerca de la televisión? (Why are you sitting so close to the TV?)

Cuando estoy cansado, me siento en el sofá a descansar. (When I’m tired, I sit on the couch to rest.)

En la reunión, te sientas al lado del jefe. (In the meeting, you sit next to the boss.)

Después de un largo día, me siento en el patio a tomar una cerveza. (After a long day, I sit in the backyard to have a beer.)

¿Por qué te sientas tan lejos de mí en el cine? (Why are you sitting so far from me at the movies?)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Sentarse (to sit down) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.