sentar Present Conjugation
sentar — to sit down
Sentar is a stem-changing verb (e > ie) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
sentar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to talk about where you usually sit or to describe the act of sitting down as it happens.
Notes on sentar in the Present
This is a 'boot verb'. The 'e' changes to 'ie' in the yo, tú, él/ella, and ellos forms (siento, sientas, sienta, sientan).
Example Sentences
Siempre me siento en este sofá.
I always sit on this sofa.
yo
Ella sienta a los niños a la mesa.
She seats the children at the table.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros nos sentamos aquí cada tarde.
We sit here every afternoon.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'nos sientamos'.
Correct: nos sentamos
Why: The stem change (e > ie) never happens in the nosotros or vosotros forms.
Mistake: Confusing 'siento' (I sit/I feel) with 'sento'.
Correct: siento
Why: You must apply the e > ie change for the yo form.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: senté
The preterite of sentar is regular: senté, sentaste, sentó, sentamos, sentasteis, sentaron.
Imperfect
yo: sentaba
The imperfect of sentar is regular: sentaba, sentabas, sentaba, sentábamos, sentabais, sentaban.
Future
yo: sentaré
The future of sentar is regular: sentaré, sentarás, sentará, sentaremos, sentaréis, sentarán.
Conditional
yo: sentaría
The conditional of sentar is regular: sentaría, sentarías, sentaría, sentaríamos, sentaríais, sentarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sienta
Sentar follows the e > ie stem change in the subjunctive, except for nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sentara
The imperfect subjunctive of sentar is regular: sentara, sentaras, sentara, sentáramos, sentarais, sentaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sienta
The imperative uses the stem change (e > ie) for most commands: siente, sentad, sienten.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sientas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no sientes, no siente, no sentemos, no sentéis, no sienten.