sentarse Preterite Conjugation
sentarse — to sit down
The preterite of sentarse is regular as an -ar verb: me senté, te sentaste, se sentó, nos sentamos, os sentasteis, se sentaron.
sentarse Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe the specific moment someone sat down. It focuses on the completed action of taking a seat at a particular point in time.
Notes on sentarse in the Preterite
In the preterite, sentarse is completely regular. Unlike the present tense, there is no stem change (no 'ie'), so the 'e' stays as an 'e' throughout.
Example Sentences
Me senté en la primera fila.
I sat down in the first row.
yo
Se sentó y empezó a leer.
He sat down and started to read.
él/ella/usted
Nos sentamos a la mesa para cenar.
We sat down at the table to have dinner.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Me sienté en la silla.
Correct: Me senté en la silla.
Why: Learners often incorrectly apply the 'e > ie' stem change from the present tense to the preterite.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: me siento
Sentarse is a stem-changing (e > ie) reflexive verb: me siento, te sientas, se sienta, nos sentamos, os sentáis, se sientan.
Imperfect
yo: me sentaba
The imperfect of sentarse is regular: me sentaba, te sentabas, se sentaba, nos sentábamos, os sentabais, se sentaban.
Future
yo: me sentaré
The future of sentarse is regular: me sentaré, te sentarás, se sentará, nos sentaremos, os sentaréis, se sentarán.
Conditional
yo: me sentaría
The conditional of sentarse is regular: me sentaría, te sentarías, se sentaría, nos sentaríamos, os sentaríais, se sentarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: me siente
The present subjunctive of sentarse follows the stem change (e > ie): me siente, te sientes, se siente, nos sentemos, os sentéis, se sienten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: me sentara
The imperfect subjunctive of sentarse is: me sentara, te sentaras, se sentara, nos sentáramos, os sentarais, se sentaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: siéntate
Affirmative commands for sentarse: siéntate (tú), siéntese (usted), sentémonos (nosotros), sentaos (vosotros), siéntense (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no te sientes
Negative commands for sentarse: no te sientes, no se siente, no nos sentemos, no os sentéis, no se sienten.