Questions & Answers about Marie s’assoit sur le banc.
Why is there s’ before assoit? What does s’asseoir mean exactly?
The s’ shows that asseoir is used as a pronominal (reflexive) verb: s’asseoir = “to sit down / to seat oneself.”
- asseoir alone literally means “to seat [someone/something].”
- s’asseoir means “to sit down (oneself).”
- Marie s’assoit. = Marie sits down.
In everyday French, when you talk about a person sitting down, you virtually always use the pronominal form s’asseoir with me/te/se/nous/vous/se:
- Je m’assois. – I sit down.
- Tu t’assois. – You sit down.
- Elle s’assoit. – She sits down.
Could I say Marie asseoit sur le banc without s’?
No. Marie asseoit sur le banc is incorrect.
Without s’, asseoir needs a direct object (someone/something Marie is seating):
- Correct: Marie asseoit son fils sur le banc.
Marie seats her son on the bench.
When Marie herself sits down, French normally uses the reflexive form:
- Correct: Marie s’assoit sur le banc.