Infinitive (imperfective): сади́ти — "to plant; to seat someone; to put / set down into place" Perfective partner: посади́ти — "to plant; to seat; to set down (once, completely)" Type: an aspect pair with a 1sg consonant mutation (д → дж) and mobile stress
сади́ти / посади́ти is the transitive verb of putting something — or someone — into a fixed position: planting a tree in the ground, seating a guest at the table, putting bread into the oven, even putting a prisoner behind bars. The crucial thing for English speakers is that this is a causative verb — you make something or someone sit/stay — and so it is sharply distinct from the intransitive сіда́ти / сі́сти "to sit down (oneself)." You са́диш го́стя "seat a guest," but the guest himself сіда́є "sits down." Mix these up and the sentence becomes nonsense. The verb also carries the second-conjugation д→дж mutation in the 1sg (саджу́, not садю́), with stress that jumps from the ending to the stem after the 1sg. Stress is marked on every form.
Present tense — саджу́ / са́диш…
The imperfective present is second-conjugation off the сад- stem. The 1sg shows the regular д→дж mutation — саджу́, end-stressed — and then the stress jumps back to the stem for every other person: са́диш, са́дить, са́димо, са́дите, са́дять. This mobile stress (end-stressed only in the 1sg) is typical of this verb class. See present-tense stem changes.
| Person | сади́ти — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | саджу́ | I plant / seat |
| ти | са́диш | you plant / seat (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | са́дить | he / she / it plants / seats |
| ми | са́димо | we plant / seat |
| ви | са́дите | you plant / seat (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | са́дять | they plant / seat |
Imperfective сади́ти describes a habit, an ongoing or repeated action — what you plant every spring, the act in progress.
Щовесни́ ми са́димо за ха́тою кі́лька яблунь.
Every spring we plant a few apple trees behind the house. (Habitual present са́димо — stem-stressed after the 1sg.)
Чому́ ти са́диш помідо́ри так бли́зько оди́н до о́дного?
Why are you planting the tomatoes so close to one another? (Present са́диш — stem-stressed, action in progress.)
Past tense — сади́в (impf) vs посади́в (pf)
Both pasts are regular and end-stressed: imperfective сади́в / сади́ла, perfective посади́в / посади́ла. The mutation never appears in the past — it lives only in the present/future 1sg.
| Gender / number | сади́ти (impf) | посади́ти (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | сади́в | посади́в |
| feminine | сади́ла | посади́ла |
| neuter | сади́ло | посади́ло |
| plural | сади́ли | посади́ли |
Imperfective сади́в = "was planting / used to plant"; perfective посади́в = "planted (and it's done)" — the completed result, a tree now in the ground.
Дід посади́в цей горі́х, коли́ я ще не ходи́в до шко́ли.
Grandfather planted this walnut tree back when I wasn't even at school yet. (Perfective посади́в — a single completed act with a lasting result.)
Ці́лий ра́нок вона́ сади́ла розса́ду і зо́всім стоми́лася.
She spent the whole morning planting seedlings and got completely tired. (Imperfective сади́ла — an extended process.)
Future tense
Perfective посади́ти — the simple future (д→дж in the 1sg)
The perfective's present-form is its future. The 1sg keeps the д→дж mutation and is end-stressed — посаджу́ — and then the stress jumps to the stem: поса́диш, поса́дить, поса́димо, поса́дите, поса́дять. Same shape as the imperfective present, just with the по- prefix.
| Person | посади́ти — FUTURE | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | посаджу́ | I'll plant / seat |
| ти | поса́диш | you'll plant / seat |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | поса́дить | he / she / it will plant / seat |
| ми | поса́димо | we'll plant / seat |
| ви | поса́дите | you'll plant / seat |
| вони́ | поса́дять | they'll plant / seat |
На́весні я посаджу́ під вікно́м куш троя́нд.
In spring I'll plant a rose bush under the window. (Perfective future посаджу́ — д→дж, end-stressed in the 1sg.)
Imperfective сади́ти — both compound futures
The imperfective forms its future analytically (бу́ду + infinitive) or synthetically (the -му form), framing a repeated or ongoing future planting.
| Person | Analytic (бу́ду + inf.) | Synthetic (-му) |
|---|---|---|
| я | бу́ду сади́ти | сади́тиму |
| ти | бу́деш сади́ти | сади́тимеш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | бу́де сади́ти | сади́тиме |
| ми | бу́демо сади́ти | сади́тимемо |
| ви | бу́дете сади́ти | сади́тимете |
| вони́ | бу́дуть сади́ти | сади́тимуть |
Цьо́го ро́ку ми бу́демо сади́ти бі́льше карто́плі, ніж торі́к.
This year we'll be planting more potatoes than last year. (Imperfective future — an extended seasonal activity.)
Imperative
The imperfective сади́ / саді́ть invites a repeated or general planting; the perfective посади́ / посаді́ть asks for a single completed result. In the seating sense, the perfective is the polite host's word: Посаді́ть го́стя на поче́сне мі́сце "Seat the guest in the place of honour."
| Addressee | сади́ти (impf) | посади́ти (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | сади́ | посади́ |
| ви (formal / plural) | саді́ть | посаді́ть |
| 3rd person (let…) | хай / неха́й са́дить | хай / неха́й поса́дить |
Посади́ ди́тину на стільчи́к і дай їй ло́жку.
Sit the child on the high chair and give her a spoon. (Perfective посади́ — a single causative act: you seat the child.)
Саді́ть, будь ла́ска, дере́вця в оди́н ряд, а не врозки́д.
Please plant the saplings in a single row, not scattered about. (Imperfective саді́ть — general instruction for the whole task.)
Participles and verbal adverbs
| Form | сади́ти / посади́ти |
|---|---|
| passive past participle (pf) | поса́джений "planted; seated; imprisoned" |
| impersonal -но/-то form | поса́джено "(it was) planted / seated" |
| imperfective verbal adverb | са́дячи "(while) planting" |
| perfective verbal adverb | посади́вши "having planted" |
The participle поса́джений keeps the дж of the 1sg — Алея бу́ла поса́джена ще за діда́ "The avenue was planted back in grandfather's day." The impersonal поса́джено is the natural way to say "X was planted" without naming who did it: Тут поса́джено ду́би "Oak trees have been planted here." Both (written / neutral).
Key uses & case government
1. Transitive сади́ти vs intransitive сіда́ти — the causative split
The contrast that defines the verb. сади́ти / посади́ти is causative and takes an accusative object — you seat someone, plant something. сіда́ти / сі́сти is intransitive — you sit down, no object. English "sit" does both jobs ("Sit down!" vs "Sit the baby down"), but Ukrainian forces the choice. See case government of verbs and сіда́ти / сі́сти.
Госте́й посади́ли за вели́кий стіл, а ді́ти сі́ли окре́мо.
They seated the guests at the big table, and the children sat down separately. (посади́ли = causative + accusative госте́й; сі́ли = intransitive.)
2. The accusative object — what you plant or seat
The thing or person put into place goes in the accusative: сади́ти де́рево / карто́плю / квіти "plant a tree / potatoes / flowers," посади́ти го́стя / ди́тину "seat a guest / a child." For animate objects the accusative looks like the genitive (го́стя, ди́тину), so watch the animacy marking.
Цьогорі́ч ми посади́ли ці́лу гря́дку часнику́.
This year we planted a whole bed of garlic. (Accusative гря́дку — what was planted.)
3. The idiom посади́ти у в’язни́цю / за ґра́ти — to imprison
Colloquially, посади́ти also means "to put behind bars": посади́ти за ґра́ти "to jail," посади́ти на п’ять ро́ків "to put away for five years." This is everyday usage, not slang.
Зло́дія зре́штою спійма́ли й посади́ли на три ро́ки.
The thief was finally caught and put away for three years. (Idiomatic посади́ти — to imprison.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Я садю́ де́рево.
The 1sg has the д→дж mutation — there is no *садю́*: Я саджу́ де́рево.
✅ Я саджу́ де́рево.
I'm planting a tree.
❌ Гість сади́ть за стіл.
A person sitting down himself is intransitive сіда́ти, not transitive сади́ти: Гість сіда́є за стіл. (Use сади́ти only when you seat someone else.)
✅ Гість сіда́є за стіл.
The guest sits down at the table.
❌ Я посаджу́ ди́тину.
Form is right, but learners often write the wrong stress *поса́джу* — the 1sg future is end-stressed: Я посаджу́ ди́тину. (Then it jumps: поса́диш.)
✅ Я посаджу́ ди́тину на стільчи́к.
I'll sit the child on the high chair.
❌ Ми посади́ли квітами сад.
The thing planted is the accusative object, not the instrumental — and the place is the accusative goal: Ми посади́ли квіти в саду́ / Ми засади́ли сад квітами.
✅ Ми посади́ли квіти в саду́.
We planted flowers in the garden.
❌ Вона́ посади́в трою́нди.
Agreement error — a female subject takes посади́ла: Вона́ посади́ла троя́нди.
✅ Вона́ посади́ла троя́нди.
She planted roses.
Key Takeaways
- сади́ти / посади́ти = causative, transitive — you plant something or seat someone (accusative object). Don't confuse with intransitive сіда́ти / сі́сти "sit down (oneself)."
- Present (impf): саджу́ (д→дж, end-stressed) / са́диш / са́дить / са́димо / са́дите / са́дять — mobile stress.
- Future (pf): посаджу́ (д→дж) / поса́диш / поса́дить / поса́димо / поса́дите / поса́дять.
- Past: сади́в (impf) vs посади́в / посади́ла (pf) — both end-stressed, no mutation.
- Government: accusative object (сади́ти де́рево, посади́ти го́стя); idiom посади́ти за ґра́ти "imprison."
- Imperative: Сади́! / Саді́ть! vs Посади́! / Посаді́ть!; participle поса́джений, impersonal поса́джено.
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