сажать vs посадить

sazhat' vs posadit' — seat/plant regularly vs seat/plant once

What it really means

Сажать is imperfective: seat, put in prison, plant, or make land as a process or repeated action. Посадить is perfective and completes one seating, planting, or placing. Both have several contexts, so aspect and object clarify meaning.

Examples in natural speech

Она сажает ребёнка в машину.
She is putting the child in the car.
Весной сажают картошку.
People plant potatoes in spring.
Посади гостя рядом.
Seat the guest nearby.
Мы посадили дерево.
We planted a tree.
Его посадили в тюрьму.
He was sent to prison.

Common mistakes

Сажать is not the intransitive “sit down”; use садиться. Посадить ребёнка means seat the child, not sit yourself down.

Memory tip

Посадить completes one “put into a seat/ground” action.

Frequently asked questions

How do I say plant a tree?

Посадить дерево.

What is sit down?

Садиться/сесть.

Can сажать mean imprison?

Yes, in context.

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