Sentar means to sit down. It is a fully regular -ar verb, so the only thing you have to learn beyond the standard endings is a usage question that trips up every learner: when to add the reflexive -se (sentar-se) and when to leave it off (sentar). The textbook form is sentar-se, but everyday Brazilian speech overwhelmingly drops the se — "Senta aqui" (Sit here) is what people actually say. This page gives the regular paradigm and then untangles the sentar vs sentar-se question.
A change-of-state verb
Conceptually, sitting down is a change of state: you go from standing to seated. Romance languages mark this kind of self-affecting change with a reflexive pronoun, which is why the "correct" dictionary form is sentar-se — literally "to seat oneself." Compare levantar-se (to get up), deitar-se (to lie down), vestir-se (to get dressed). English doesn't mark this at all — we just say "sit down" — which is exactly why English speakers forget the se in formal Portuguese and, conversely, why teachers sometimes over-insist on it when natives would drop it.
Sentar vs sentar-se — the register split
This is the heart of the page:
- sentar-se (with the pronoun) is the prescriptively "correct" form and is normal in formal writing and careful speech: Os convidados sentaram-se à mesa. (formal)
- sentar (no pronoun) dominates everyday Brazilian speech. "Senta aqui," "Pode sentar," "Eu sentei na primeira fila" — all standard and natural. Adding se in casual conversation can sound stiff. (informal)
So in Brazil the bare sentar is not an error; it is the default spoken form. Use sentar-se when you want a formal register or are writing carefully. (regional: Brazil drops the se far more than European Portuguese)
Senta aqui do meu lado, tem lugar.
Sit here next to me, there's room.
Por favor, sentem-se; a apresentação vai começar.
Please be seated; the presentation is about to begin.
Presente do indicativo
Standard -ar endings. The reflexive pronoun (when used) goes before the verb in Brazilian speech: eu me sento.
| Pronoun | Form (com -se) |
|---|---|
| eu | (me) sento |
| tu | (te) sentas |
| você / ele / ela | (se) senta |
| nós | (nos) sentamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | (se) sentam |
Eu sempre sento na janela quando viajo de ônibus.
I always sit by the window when I travel by bus.
Ela se senta sempre no mesmo lugar na igreja.
She always sits in the same spot at church.
Pretérito perfeito
Regular. The eu form sentei is one of the most-used: "I sat (down)."
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | sentei |
| tu | sentaste |
| você / ele / ela | sentou |
| nós | sentamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | sentaram |
Cheguei cansado, sentei no sofá e dormi na hora.
I got home tired, sat on the couch, and fell asleep right away.
A gente sentou naquele café e ficou conversando horas.
We sat at that café and ended up talking for hours.
Pretérito imperfeito
Regular -ar imperfect (-ava). Use it for habitual or ongoing sitting in the past.
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | sentava |
| tu | sentavas |
| você / ele / ela | sentava |
| nós | sentávamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | sentavam |
Quando criança, eu sentava no colo do meu avô para ouvir histórias.
As a kid, I'd sit on my grandfather's lap to hear stories.
Futuro do presente & futuro do pretérito (conditional)
Both built on the full infinitive sentar-, completely regular.
| Pronoun | Futuro do presente | Futuro do pretérito |
|---|---|---|
| eu | sentarei | sentaria |
| tu | sentarás | sentarias |
| você / ele / ela | sentará | sentaria |
| nós | sentaremos | sentaríamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | sentarão | sentariam |
In speech, ir + infinitive replaces the simple future: vou sentar rather than sentarei. (informal)
Quando o ônibus esvaziar, eu vou sentar.
When the bus empties out, I'm going to sit down.
Presente do subjuntivo
Regular -ar subjunctive (-e endings).
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | sente |
| tu | sentes |
| você / ele / ela | sente |
| nós | sentemos |
| vocês / eles / elas | sentem |
Careful: the present subjunctive sente is spelled identically to the present indicative of sentir (to feel) — "ele sente" (he feels). Context and the surrounding clause disambiguate.
Quero que você sente e me escute com calma.
I want you to sit down and listen to me calmly.
Imperfeito & futuro do subjuntivo
Regular. Imperfect subjunctive in -asse; future subjunctive built on the infinitive stem.
| Pronoun | Imperfeito do subjuntivo | Futuro do subjuntivo |
|---|---|---|
| eu | sentasse | sentar |
| tu | sentasses | sentares |
| você / ele / ela | sentasse | sentar |
| nós | sentássemos | sentarmos |
| vocês / eles / elas | sentassem | sentarem |
Se você sentasse um pouco, descansaria as pernas.
If you sat down a bit, you'd rest your legs.
Imperativo
This is where sentar lives most of the time — telling people to sit. In Brazil the bare Senta! (tu-form imperative, used even with você in casual speech) is everyday; Sente-se is the more formal version.
| Pronoun | Afirmativo | Negativo |
|---|---|---|
| tu | senta (-te) | não sentes (não te sentes) |
| você | sente (-se) | não se sente |
| nós | sentemos (-nos) | não nos sentemos |
| vocês | sentem (-se) | não se sentem |
Senta um pouco, você está em pé desde cedo.
Sit down for a bit, you've been on your feet since early.
Sente-se, por gentileza; o doutor já vai atendê-lo.
Please have a seat; the doctor will see you shortly.
Non-finite forms
All regular.
| Form | Result |
|---|---|
| Infinitivo | sentar (-se) |
| Infinitivo pessoal (eu / você / ele) | sentar |
| Infinitivo pessoal (nós) | sentarmos |
| Infinitivo pessoal (vocês / eles) | sentarem |
| Gerúndio | sentando |
| Particípio | sentado |
Passei a tarde inteira sentado, preciso me mexer.
I spent the whole afternoon sitting, I need to move around.
sentar (action) vs estar sentado (state)
A subtle but important distinction English handles loosely:
- sentar / sentar-se = the action of sitting down (the moment you lower yourself).
- estar sentado/a = the resulting state of being seated, using the participle as an adjective (so it agrees: sentado, sentada, sentados, sentadas).
So "I'm sitting" describing where you currently are is estou sentado, not estou sentando (which would mean you are in the middle of the act of sitting down).
Ela estava sentada na varanda, lendo um livro.
She was sitting on the porch, reading a book.
Common Mistakes
❌ Eu estou sentando na cadeira agora (meaning: I'm seated).
Incorrect for the state — use estou sentado; sentando is the act of sitting down.
✅ Eu estou sentado na cadeira agora.
I'm sitting in the chair now.
❌ Ela está sentado.
Incorrect — the participle must agree: sentada (feminine).
✅ Ela está sentada.
She is seated.
❌ Quero que você senta aqui.
Incorrect — after 'quero que' use the subjunctive sente.
✅ Quero que você sente aqui.
I want you to sit here.
❌ Eu sento a criança na cadeira (meaning: I sit down).
Ambiguous — without an object 'sentar' is to sit oneself; 'sentar alguém' means to seat someone else.
✅ Eu sento na cadeira / Eu sento a criança na cadeira.
I sit on the chair / I seat the child on the chair.
❌ Sentar-se aqui! (as a casual command).
Overly formal/wrong word order for casual speech — say 'Senta aqui'.
✅ Senta aqui!
Sit here!
Key Takeaways
- Sentar is a fully regular -ar verb — no stem or spelling surprises.
- The real lesson is register: sentar-se is formal/written; bare sentar ("Senta aqui") is the everyday Brazilian default.
- It belongs to the change-of-state se family with levantar-se and deitar-se; the se has no English equivalent.
- Distinguish the action (sentar/sentar-se) from the state (estar sentado/a), and make the participle agree in the state.
- When sentar takes a direct object (sentar a criança), it means to seat someone else, not yourself.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Change-of-State 'Se' Verbs (levantar-se, sentar-se)A2 — Verbs of posture and emotional shift that traditionally take 'se' — and the strong Brazilian tendency to drop it in speech, the cleanest BR-vs-PT-PT contrast there is.
- First Conjugation: -ar VerbsA1 — The largest and most regular Brazilian Portuguese verb class — endings across the main tenses, high-frequency verbs, and the gostar de trap.
- Reflexive Verbs: OverviewA2 — An introduction to Portuguese reflexive (pronominal) verbs — true reflexives, reciprocals, and lexicalized se-verbs — plus the BR drift toward dropping the pronoun.
- DormirA1 — How to conjugate and use dormir (to sleep) in Brazilian Portuguese — an -ir verb with the classic o→u stem change in the eu form (durmo) and throughout the present subjunctive.
- VestirA2 — How to conjugate and use vestir (to dress/wear) in Brazilian Portuguese — an e→i stem-changing -ir verb — plus the key difference between vestir, usar, and the reflexive vestir-se.