s’asseoir means “to sit down” or “to take a seat.” It is a reflexive verb, so it is used with a reflexive pronoun such as me, te, se, nous, vous, se. The verb has two accepted ways of forming many of its present tense and related forms. Both are standard. One is older in form, the other is more common in modern use.

The two conjugation patterns

There are two main stems used in the present tense:

• assieds- pattern
• assois- pattern

Both give correct French. The difference lies in which stem is used in certain persons.

Pattern 1: assieds

This pattern is now the most widely used in everyday French.

Present tense:

• je m’assieds
• tu t’assieds
• il/elle/on s’assied
• nous nous asseyons
• vous vous asseyez
• ils/elles s’asseyent

Examples:

• Je m’assieds ici. “I sit down here.”
• Tu t’assieds trop vite. “You sit down too quickly.”
• Elle s’assied près de la fenêtre. “She sits down near the window.”
• Nous nous asseyons à table. “We sit down at the table.”
• Ils s’asseyent sur le banc. “They sit down on the bench.”

Pattern 2: assois

This pattern is also correct, but less common in speech today. You will still see and hear it, especially in more formal or older usage.

Present tense:

• je m’assois
• tu t’assois
• il/elle/on s’assoit
• nous nous asseyons
• vous vous asseyez
• ils/elles s’assoient

Examples:

• Je m’assois ici. “I sit down here.”
• Tu t’assois toujours au même endroit. “You always sit in the same place.”
• Il s’assoit lentement. “He sits down slowly.”
• Nous nous asseyons ensemble. “We sit down together.”
• Elles s’assoient par terre. “They sit down on the floor.”

Note that nous and vous forms are the same in both patterns.

Other tenses

The split mainly affects the present tense and forms built from it, such as the imperfect and the present subjunctive.

Imperfect

Both patterns give the same forms:

• je m’asseyais
• tu t’asseyais
• il s’asseyait
• nous nous asseyions
• vous vous asseyiez
• ils s’asseyaient

Example:

• Je m’asseyais toujours ici. “I used to sit here.”

Future and conditional

These use a different stem: assiér- or assoir- are both seen, but assiér- is more common today.

• je m’assiérai
• tu t’assiéras
• il s’assiéra

Example:

• Je m’assiérai près de toi. “I will sit near you.”

Past participle

• assis

Example:

• Je me suis assis. “I sat down.”
• Elle s’est assise. “She sat down.”

Why there are two forms

The two patterns come from changes in spoken French over time.

The verb goes back to Latin assidere, meaning “to sit down.” Over time, sound changes in spoken French led to different vowel forms in the stem. Both forms spread and became accepted.

In simple terms:

• older forms kept a sound closer to oi
• newer forms shifted toward ie in some persons

Instead of one form replacing the other, both stayed in use. Grammarians later accepted both as correct.

Modern French tends to favour the assieds pattern, especially in speech. The assois pattern often feels more formal or old-style, but it is still standard.

Imperative forms

Both patterns appear here as well.

Pattern 1:

• assieds-toi
• asseyons-nous
• asseyez-vous

Pattern 2:

• assois-toi
• asseyons-nous
• asseyez-vous

Examples:

• Assieds-toi. “Sit down.”
• Assois-toi ici. “Sit down here.”
• Asseyez-vous, s’il vous plaît. “Please sit down.”

Use as a reflexive verb

s’asseoir is almost always used reflexively.

Examples:

• Je m’assieds. “I sit down.”
• Ils se sont assis. “They sat down.”

Non-reflexive use exists but is rare and mostly fixed:

• Asseoir quelqu’un means “to seat someone” or “to establish something firmly.”

Examples:

• On a assis les invités. “They seated the guests.”
• Cela a assis sa réputation. “That established his reputation.”

Synonyms and alternatives

French often uses simpler or more regular verbs in place of s’asseoir.

Common alternatives

• s’installer
• se mettre (in context)
• prendre place

Examples:

• Je m’installe. “I sit down.”
• Il se met sur une chaise. “He sits on a chair.”
• Prenez place. “Take a seat.”

Informal expressions

• se poser

Example:

• Je me pose ici. “I sit here.”

Usage notes

• In spoken French, assieds forms are more common.
• In writing, both forms appear, with some writers preferring one for consistency.
• Learners should pick one pattern and stick to it, with assieds being the safer choice.

Summary

• s’asseoir means “to sit down” and is usually reflexive.
• It has two valid present tense patterns: assieds and assois.
• Both are correct, but assieds is more common today.
• The difference comes from historical sound changes in French.
• Other tenses mostly follow a single pattern.
• Several simpler verbs can replace it in everyday use.