садиться vs сесть

saditsya vs sest — sit down regularly/in progress vs sit down once

What it really means

Сади́ться is imperfective and describes sitting down as a process, a repeated action, or a routine such as boarding transport. Се́сть is perfective and presents one act of sitting down or taking a seat as completed. The prefix с- contributes the idea of moving down into a seated position.

Use садиться when someone is starting to sit or when describing a habit. Use сесть for a completed request: "Сядь сюда" (Sit here). Note that сесть can also mean sit down in one place, board a vehicle, or land, depending on context.

Examples in natural speech

Ребёнок садится на стул.
The child is sitting down on the chair.
Мы обычно садимся у окна.
We usually sit by the window.
Сядь рядом со мной.
Sit next to me.
Она села в поезд.
She got on the train.
Самолёт сел вовремя.
The plane landed on time.

Common mistakes

Do not confuse сесть with сидеть. Сесть means sit down or take a seat, a change of position; сидеть means be sitting or remain seated. Садиться is the imperfective counterpart of the change-of-position verb сесть.

Memory tip

Садиться is lowering into the seat; сесть is in the seat after one movement.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between садиться and сесть?

Садиться is imperfective for sitting down as a process, habit, or repeated action. Сесть is perfective for one completed act of sitting down or taking a seat.

What is the difference between сесть and сидеть?

Сесть means sit down or take a seat. Сидеть means be sitting or remain seated. They describe a change versus a state.

Why does сесть mean get on a train?

Russian uses the idea of taking a seat for boarding some transport: сесть в поезд means get on the train, while сесть на поезд is also used in modern speech.

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