See also: Sitzen

German Edit

Etymology Edit

From Middle High German sitzen, from Old High German sizzen, sitten, from Proto-West Germanic *sittjan. Cognate with Low German sitten, Dutch zitten, English sit, Danish sidde.

Pronunciation Edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈzɪtsn̩/, /ˈzɪtsən/ (prescriptive standard)
  • IPA(key): /ˈsɪtsn̩/ (Austria)
  • (file)
  • (file)

Verb Edit

sitzen (class 5 strong, third-person singular present sitzt, past tense saß, past participle gesessen, past subjunctive säße, auxiliary haben or sein)

  1. (intransitive) to sit; to perch
  2. (intransitive) to stay (in one place); to remain; to be (in a particular place or state)
    Wir saßen fest!We were stuck!
  3. (intransitive, of clothing) to fit
  4. (intransitive, in certain constructions) to be (e.g. with voller)
    Der Schrank sitzt voller Motten.The cupboard is full of moths.
  5. (intransitive, colloquial) to do time; to spend time in jail
    im Gefängnis sitzen.to be in jail.
  6. (intransitive, colloquial, of a strike, a comment, etc.) to hit home; to have a significant effect
  7. (intransitive, Switzerland) to sit down

Usage notes Edit

The most frequent auxiliary with sitzen is haben: Ich habe gesessen. In northern and central Germany, only this form is used. In southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, sein is common in the vernacular and also, alternatively, in standard usage: Ich bin gesessen. However, for some meanings like 5 and 6, haben is used everywhere. This can lead to misunderstandings.

Conjugation Edit

Derived terms Edit

Related terms Edit

Further reading Edit

  • sitzen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • sitzen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • sitzen” in Duden online
  • sitzen” in OpenThesaurus.de