Learn Hardcore French: Marie s’assoit sur le banc.

Marie s’assoit sur le banc.

Marie sits on the bench.

Breakdown of Marie s’assoit sur le banc.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching French grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning French now

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].”
- Elle asseoit l’enfant sur le banc. = She seats the child on the bench.
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.

What’s the difference between s’assoit and s’assied? Which one is correct?

Both are grammatically correct; they are two accepted conjugation patterns of s’asseoir in the present tense.

You’ll see two main sets:

-ois forms (very common in modern speech)
- je m’assois
- tu t’assois
- il/elle/on s’assoit
- nous nous assoyons
- vous vous assoyez
- ils/elles s’assoient
-ieds forms (more traditional / often considered slightly more formal)
- je m’assieds
- tu t’assieds
- il/elle/on s’assied
- nous nous asseyons
- vous vous asseyez
- ils/elles s’asseyent

In everyday conversation in France, you’ll hear s’assoit more often, but s’assied is still correct and common, especially in writing and in more formal contexts.

Why is it spelled s’assoit here and not s’assied? Is this a mistake?

It’s not a mistake. The verb s’asseoir has two standard conjugations in modern French, and both can be used in the 3rd person singular:

Marie s’assoit sur le banc. ✅
Marie s’assied sur le banc. ✅

Teachers, textbooks, or regions may prefer one or the other, but both forms are accepted by major dictionaries and grammar references. You should be able to recognize both, even if you personally choose to use one pattern more consistently.

What tense is s’assoit, and how would I translate it into English?

S’assoit is the 3rd person singular of the present indicative: il/elle s’assoit.

In English it can correspond to:

Marie sits on the bench.
Marie is sitting on the bench.
Very often more precisely: Marie sits down on the bench. (because s’asseoir is about the action of sitting down, not the state of already being seated)

Is there a difference between “Marie s’assoit sur le banc” and “Marie est assise sur le banc”?

Yes, there is a subtle but important difference:

Marie s’assoit sur le banc.
Focus = the action of sitting down (she goes from standing to a sitting position).
Marie est assise sur le banc.
Focus = the state of being seated (she is in a sitting position already).

English often uses “is sitting” for both actions and states, but French prefers:

s’asseoir for the action (to sit down),
être assis / assise for the state (to be seated / sitting).

Why is it sur le banc and not dans le banc or another preposition?

Sur means “on / on top of” a surface.

You use sur when you are on an object, not inside it:

sur la chaise – on the chair
sur le canapé – on the sofa
sur le banc – on the bench

You would use dans (“in/inside”) for things you are inside:

dans la voiture – in the car
dans le train – on the train (literally “in the train”)

So sur le banc is the correct prepositional phrase for a bench.

Why is it le banc and not un banc?

Both are possible; the choice changes the nuance, not the grammar:

Marie s’assoit sur le banc.
This suggests a specific bench, known from context (the only bench there, or one already mentioned).
Marie s’assoit sur un banc.
This introduces a bench not yet specified or not important which one.

It’s like English:

“Marie sits on the bench.” (a particular bench)
“Marie sits on a bench.” (some bench)

What does banc mean, and what gender is it?

Banc means “bench” in this context and is masculine: le banc, un banc.

A few points:

le banc = the bench (to sit on in a park, church, etc.)
un banc = a bench
There are other meanings (e.g., un banc de poissons = a school of fish), but the gender stays masculine.

Don’t confuse it with:

la banque (with -que at the end) = the bank (financial institution).

How do you pronounce “Marie s’assoit sur le banc”?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA:
/ma.ʁi saswa syʁ lə bɑ̃/

Key points:

Marie: /ma.ʁi/
s’assoit: /saswa/
- The final t is silent.
sur: /syʁ/
- The r is the French guttural ʁ.
le: /lə/
banc: /bɑ̃/
- The c is silent.
- The an is a nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ (air passes through the nose; the n is not fully pronounced).

There is no liaison here that changes spelling or sound; you just say each word clearly in sequence: sa-swa-syr-lə-bɑ̃.

How would I make this sentence negative?

Use ne … pas around the verb and its pronoun:

Marie ne s’assoit pas sur le banc.
= Marie does not sit (down) on the bench.

Spoken French often drops ne:

Marie s’assoit pas sur le banc. (very common in casual speech, but informal)

How do I ask a question with this sentence in French?

Several ways, with different levels of formality:

Intonation (informal)
Just raise your voice at the end:
- Marie s’assoit sur le banc ?
  (Spoken: “Marie sits on the bench?”)
Est-ce que (neutral)
- Est-ce que Marie s’assoit sur le banc ?
  = Does Marie sit on the bench?
Inversion (formal/written)
- Marie s’assoit-elle sur le banc ?
  = Does Marie sit on the bench?

All three are correct; est-ce que is a safe, neutral choice.

How do I say the same idea in the past?

The usual choice is the passé composé of s’asseoir:

Marie s’est assise sur le banc.

Points to notice:

Auxiliary verb: être (because it’s pronominal).
Past participle: assis.
Agreement: assise (feminine) because it refers to Marie, a woman.

If the subject were masculine:

Paul s’est assis sur le banc.

In casual speech, many people don’t clearly pronounce the final -e in assise, so you might hear something that sounds like /asi/ in both cases, but in writing you must make the agreement.

What are the other present tense forms of s’asseoir with s’assoit as the model?

Using the -ois pattern (same as s’assoit):

Je m’assois – I sit (down)
Tu t’assois – You sit (down) (singular, informal)
Il/Elle/On s’assoit – He/She/One sits (down)
Nous nous assoyons – We sit (down)
Vous vous assoyez – You sit (down) (plural or formal)
Ils/Elles s’assoient – They sit (down)

Remember: with the alternative -ieds pattern, you get je m’assieds, nous nous asseyons, etc.

Is s’asseoir a regular verb?

No, s’asseoir is considered irregular.

Irregularities:

Spelling change: asseoir → assoi- / assey- (or assi- / assey- with the other pattern).
Two coexisting conjugation patterns (the -ois and -ieds forms).
Irregular past participle: assis (not asseyé or similar).

Because of this, s’asseoir is typically memorized as an irregular verb, rather than learned by applying a standard -er/-ir/-re pattern.

What is the basic word order in “Marie s’assoit sur le banc”?

The order is:

Subject – Marie
Reflexive pronoun – s’
Verb – assoit
Prepositional phrase – sur le banc

So the pattern is: Subject + reflexive pronoun + verb + complement.

This is the standard structure for pronominal verbs in a simple declarative sentence:

Je m’assois ici.
Nous nous assoyons sur le canapé.

Is s’asseoir used in all situations where English uses “sit,” or are there differences?

There are differences:

s’asseoir focuses on the action of sitting down:
- Assieds-toi ! – Sit down!
- Elle s’assoit sur la chaise. – She sits down on the chair.
To describe the state of being seated, French often prefers:
- être assis / assise:
  - Elle est assise sur le banc. – She is sitting / seated on the bench.

So:

English “sit” and “sit down” often both map to s’asseoir.
English “is sitting” can map either to s’asseoir (if you mean “is in the process of sitting down”) or être assis(e) (if you mean “is in a seated position”). Context decides.