# estar sentado



## Henrik Larsson

Supongo que "estar sentado" = sit, pero podría ser "be sat"?


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## Whisky con ron

To be sitted


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## Henrik Larsson

Whisky con ron said:
			
		

> To be sitted



Pero el participio de sit es sat...


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## Whisky con ron

Sí, lo sé, pero eso es lo que he escuchado... quizás aquí es un adjetivo?... no sé aquí se me resbala la gramática.  A ver qué dicen los nativos.


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## Henrik Larsson

Sigo creyendo que "sitted" es incorrecto. Además he usado el google, y gana de goleada "be sat".


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## Whisky con ron

Bueno, maestro, entonces Ud. tiene la razón...


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## cuchuflete

Caballeros, 

En inglés, estar sentado=to be seated.

Desde la silla,

Cuchu


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## Whisky con ron

AH, you seeee....  I was hearing "sitted" = [seated], just couldn't spell it!...  

The old story of spanish speakers confusing the "ea" sond with an "i"

Gracias cuchu


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## cuchuflete

Whisky con ron said:
			
		

> AH, you seeee....  I was hearing "sitted" = [seated], just couldn't spell it!...
> 
> The old story of spanish speakers confusing the "ea" sond with an "i"
> 
> Gracias cuchu



¡No hay de qué Whisky!

La pronunciación del inglés es un verdadero lío.

Seat rhymes with heat and sleet and concrete.
Sitted sounds like slow-witted and fitted.


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## Henrik Larsson

Whisky con ron said:
			
		

> The old story of spanish speakers confusing the "ea" sond with an "i"



Y que lo digas, yo veo igual sheet-shit, steel-still, rid-read etc


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## Henrik Larsson

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Caballeros,
> 
> En inglés, estar sentado=to be seated.
> 
> Desde la silla,
> 
> Cuchu



No se podría usar "be sat" en algún caso? (aunque no sea desde la silla). EL participio servirá para algo digo yo.


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## Whisky con ron

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> Y que lo digas, yo veo igual sheet-shit, steel-still, rid-read etc


 
Y qué me dices de cheap-chip, beach-bitch, sheep-ship...

Y sin entrar en cheap-ship, cheat-shit...

Ay dios..


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## cuchuflete

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> No se podría usar "be sat" en algún caso? (aunque no sea desde la silla). EL participio servirá para algo digo yo.



Presente indicativo:  I sit, you sit, he sits, we sit, they (pl.) sit et cetera.

He sat down in the first row, and once seated, he enjoyed watching the movie, along with those sitting beside him.

We had sat long enough, and were ready to stand and stretch.

The valve was properly seated and the faucet did not leak.


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## germinal

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> No se podría usar "be sat" en algún caso? (aunque no sea desde la silla). EL participio servirá para algo digo yo.


 

_I will be sat over by the bar -_  This incorrect use is heard all the time in Britain.

_I will be sitting over by the bar -_ Correct use.

_I will be seated over by the bar - _Hmmm?   Sounds rather stilted to me.   

Germinal.


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## cuchuflete

germinal said:
			
		

> _I will be sat over by the bar -_  This incorrect use is heard all the time in Britain.
> 
> _I will be sitting over by the bar -_ Correct use.
> 
> _I will be seated over by the bar - _Hmmm?   Sounds rather stilted to me.
> 
> Germinal.


Good evening Mr./Ms. Germinal  Would you prefer to be seated by the window or the fireplace?  Our cheese of the day is Stilton, best eaten sitting down. 

The dignitaries were seated in the first row, while the grammarians sat on their collective thumbs.


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## Helicopta

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> Y que lo digas, yo veo igual sheet-shit, steel-still, rid-read etc





			
				Whisky con ron said:
			
		

> Y qué me dices de cheap-chip, beach-bitch, sheep-ship...
> 
> Y sin entrar en cheap-ship, cheat-shit...
> 
> Ay dios..


 
We're having a beach party, if it's cold we can lay a sheet on the ground. 
(Sorry if I'm having a laugh at your expense, please don't call me a ship cheat! )


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## Whisky con ron

One is certainly not amused!!!!


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## Edwin

Henrik tiene razón. Goolge da muchos ejemplos de ''be sat''.  Creo que muchos son errores, pero, no todos. Por ejemplo aquí hay dos:

"a piece of furniture designed to be sat upon by one person at a time." 

"The Women's Caucus breakfast will be Sat. at 7:00 am" (aquí Sat. = sábado  )

This illustrates the general principle that for almost any phrase (no matter how awkward) one may find a senario for which it is natural and correct.


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## jacinta

Oops, are we in deep sheet or is it...?  Oh my...did jacinta say that?  Everyone sit down.  Are you all seated?  Someone is still standing.  I will wait until those not sitting down sit down.  After those who are not sitting have sat down I will seat the rest who are waiting to be seated.  I need to know how many seats are left.  Thank you.


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## germinal

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Good evening Mr./Ms. Germinal Would you prefer to be seated by the window or the fireplace? Our cheese of the day is Stilton, best eaten sitting down.
> 
> The dignitaries were seated in the first row, while the grammarians sat on their collective thumbs.


 

And a good evening to you Mr Cuchu.   As you may have guessed, my comments were not meant to apply to all possible uses of seated, sat, sitting - I was only discussing the cases of _I will be sitting, I will be sat_ etc. but your remarks on other uses are quite correct. 

I'm trying to imagine those grammarians sitting on their _collective_ thumbs - may this not be somewhat difficult to organize?    

Germinal.  (Mr)



.


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## garryknight

germinal said:
			
		

> _I will be seated over by the bar - _Hmmm?   Sounds rather stilted to me.


My first thought was "by whom?"



			
				germinal said:
			
		

> I'm trying to imagine those grammarians sitting on their _collective_ thumbs - may this not be somewhat difficult to organize?


Not at all. I volunteer to do the collecting...


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## charmedboi82

To be sitting (down).


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## Henrik Larsson

Algunos dicen que estar sentado = to be sitting

Pasa lo mismo con lie y stand? Por ejemplo:

(Yo) estaba tumbado : I was lying (down)
(Yo) estaba de pie : I was standing    ???

Sólo pregunto


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## jacinta

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> Algunos dicen que estar sentado = to be sitting
> 
> Pasa lo mismo con lie y stand? Por ejemplo:
> 
> (Yo) estaba tumbado : I was lying (down)
> (Yo) estaba de pie : I was standing    ???
> 
> Sólo pregunto



Yo diría que normalmente se dice "down" y "up" con estos verbos.  Por ejemplo:

I was lying *down* when the phone rang.
I was sitting *down* to dinner when the phone rang.
i was standing *up* waiting for the bus.


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## Edwin

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> Algunos dicen que estar sentado = to be sitting



no deberia ser:

estar sentando (se?) =  to be sitting o to be sitting down
estar sentado = to be seated

Ejemplos:

Durante la pelicula, yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentando te.  (?) 
During the movie, I was standing up and you were sitting down.

Durante la pelicula, yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentado.  (?) 
During the movie, I was standing up and you were sitting down. (o were seated).   (seated suena mas formal que sitting down)


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## charmedboi82

Edwin said:
			
		

> no deberia ser:
> 
> estar sentando (se?) =  to be sitting o to be sitting down
> estar sentado = to be seated
> 
> Ejemplos:
> 
> Durante la pelicula, yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentando*-*te *(sentAndote)*.  (?)
> During the movie, I was standing up and you were sitting down (in the process of sitting down).
> 
> Durante la pelicula, yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentado.  (?)
> During the movie, I was standing up and you were sitting down. (o were seated). (seated suena mas formal que sitting down)



For me, you were seated should be followed by something, where you were sitting down or on what.  That's why, for me, it makes more sense to say that you were sitting down.  Obviously you wouldn't be in the process of sitting down the entire time that the movie played so the meaning is crystal clear to me through logic.


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## Edwin

charmedboi82 said:
			
		

> For me, you were seated should be followed by something, where you were sitting down or on what.  That's why, for me, it makes more sense to say that you were sitting down.  Obviously you wouldn't be in the process of sitting down the entire time that the movie played so the meaning is crystal clear to me through logic.



I'm not sure what you are saying, but thinking about this business of translating, say, 

*yo estaba sentado*, 

I believe a problem is caused by the fact that *sentar* can be translated by either *to sit* or *to seat* depending on context. (see WordRef.com) And their past participles are respectively *sat* and *seated*. So I believe based on that fact that both the sentences

A. I was sat.  (sat = past participle of to sit)
B. I was seated. (seated = past participle of to sit)

are grammatically correct. But most people, including me, just don't say "I was sat".   (But Google shows plenty of incidences of its use.)


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## charmedboi82

Edwin said:
			
		

> I'm not sure what you are saying, but thinking about this business of translating, say,
> 
> *yo estaba sentado*,
> 
> I believe a problem is caused by the fact that *sentar* can be translated by either *to sit* or *to seat* depending on context. (see WordRef.com) And their past participles are respectively *sat* and *seated*. So I believe based on that fact that both the sentences
> 
> A. I was sat.  (sat = past participle of to sit)
> B. I was seated. (seated = past participle of to sit)
> 
> are grammatically correct. But most people, including me, just don't say "I was sat". (But Google shows plenty of incidences of its use.)



What I was saying was that "I was sat" doesn't seem right to me.  To me, it needs something to follow it.

I was sat on the bench.
I was sat down onto a table by the giant.

It only makes sense to me if someone or something larger than me put me down onto something.  It doesn't make any sense to be with respect to sitting on something or sitting somewhere.

I would only say these to mean 'estar sentado':

I was sitting...
I was seated...


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## Henrik Larsson

Edwin said:
			
		

> no deberia ser:
> 
> estar sentando (se?) =  to be sitting o to be sitting down
> 
> Durante la pelicula, yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentando *te*.  (?)
> During the movie, I was standing up and you were sitting down.



No, It sounds wrong. "Te" shouldn't be. Though, I don't know if you want to say that the action is taking place in *gerund*... if it were so, then you could say "Yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentándo*te*"...

PD: Tu estabas sentándote = You ??? ????? ?

"Were sitting down" can be a gerund too???


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## Edwin

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> No, It sounds wrong. "Te" shouldn't be. Though, I don't know if you want to say that the action is taking place in *gerund*... if it were so, then you could say "Yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentándo*te*"...
> 
> PD: Tu estabas sentándote = You ??? ????? ?
> 
> "Were sitting down" can be a gerund too???



Certainly ''you were sitting down'' is good English.  

Henrik, déjame regresar a tu pregunta original:  Cómo podemos traducir ''está sentado"

Mira lo que tiene el WR.com:



> sentado,-a adjetivo
> 1   (persona) wise, sensible
> 2   (vida) settled
> 3   (procedimiento, idea) set: dejó bien sentadas sus condiciones, he made his conditions very clear ♦ LOC: dar algo por sentado, to take sthg for granted





> sentar
> I	verbo transitivo
> 1   (en una silla) to sit: nos sentaron en la mesa del fondo, we sat at the back table
> 2   (establecer) sentar las bases, to lay the foundations
> sentar precedente, to establish a precedent
> 
> II	verbo intransitivo 1 sentar bien/mal algo a alguien, (un peinado, vestido) to suit sb/not to suit sb
> (una comida, bebida, clima) to agree/disagree with sb: un baño caliente te sentará bien, a hot bath will do you good
> 2   (un comentario, una broma) ¿cómo le sentó la noticia?, how did he take the news?
> le sentó fatal, he took it badly
> me sienta muy mal que haga esos comentarios, it really upsets me that he makes those remarks
> Cuando se habla de la moda (ropa o color), la traducción más común es to suit. Pero si te refieres únicamente a la talla, es mejor que uses el verbo to fit: Este jersey no te sienta bien. This jersey doesn't suit you (cuando el estilo o el color no son los adecuados). This jersey doesn't fit you (cuando estás hablando de la talla).



Asi que me parece que para traducir ''está sentado" necesitamos un  contexto explícito.


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## Outsider

Edwin said:
			
		

> no deberia ser:
> 
> estar sentando (se?) =  to be sitting o to be sitting down
> estar sentado = to be seated
> 
> Ejemplos:
> 
> Durante la pelicula, yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentando te.  (?)
> During the movie, I was standing up and you were sitting down.


Edwin, the last sentence would mean that it had taken him the entire movie to sit down. That would have been a veeeery slow motion!   

I think what causes confusion is that _sitting down_ acts more as an adjective than as a verb, here. So the Spanish equivalent is not the gerund _sentando_, but the adjective/p.p. _sentado_.



			
				Edwin said:
			
		

> Durante la pelicula, yo estaba de pie y tu estabas sentado.  (?)
> During the movie, I was standing up and you were sitting down. (o were seated).   (seated suena mas formal que sitting down)


This one sounds right.


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## Edwin

Outsider said:
			
		

> Edwin, the last sentence would mean that it had taken him the entire movie to sit down. That would have been a veeeery slow motion!
> 
> I think what causes confusion is that _sitting down_ acts more as an adjective than as a verb, here. So the Spanish equivalent is not the gerund _sentando_, but the adjective/p.p. _sentado_.
> 
> This one sounds right.



Outsider, before coming back to this thread, I  spoke with a Mexican colleague about the meaning of sentarse. And, as you say, he said that sentarse applies to the act of going from a standing to a sitting position.  

But in English to sit or to sit down can have either of the following meanings:

1. to go from a standing to a sitting position  (motion involved)
2. to remain seated in a chair. (no motion involved)

So in English we can say 

"I was sitting (down) in my office all day. I didn't even get up to go to the bath room."  

My friend seemed a little puzzled about how to say this in Spanish, finally he said he would say something like: 

"Estuve sentado en mi oficina el día entero. ...."

Past tense of to sit is sat. So we can say ''I sat in the chair all day''

to sit = sentarse,  

But am I correct in saying that the following sentences

     "me senté en la silla todo el día"
     "me sentaba en la silla todo el día"

do not make much sense in Spanish?


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## gotitadeleche

Would it be correct to say:

Estuve sentada en la silla todo el día = I sat in the chair all day?
Estaba sentada en la silla todo el día = I was sitting in the chair all day?


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## charmedboi82

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> PD: Tu estabas sentándote = You ??? ????? ?
> 
> "Were sitting down" can be a gerund too???



TU estabas sentAndote = You were sitting down.... OR   you were in the process of sitting down

Sitting (down) can be a gerund, but it's not a gerund in the case that you have above.

This is the problem:

You were sitting down =
1) tu estabas sentandote
2) tu estabas sentado


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## Outsider

gotitadeleche said:
			
		

> Would it be correct to say:
> 
> Estuve sentada en la silla todo el día = I sat was sitting in the chair all day?
> Estaba sentada en la silla todo el día = I was sitting in the chair all day?


The second sentence does not make sense. You should not use the imperfect here. The context indicates that sitting down in the chair is an isolated action, not a recurring habit.

*Edwin*, I think it's better that a native speaker answers your questions.


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## jmx

Edwin said:
			
		

> But am I correct in saying that the following sentences
> 
> "me senté en la silla todo el día"
> "me sentaba en la silla todo el día"
> 
> do not make much sense in Spanish?


"Me senté en la silla todo el día" : Not very logical by itself, but in some context it could mean, 'I kept sitting down in that chair (instead of sitting in different chairs)'. For example, you had a day-long meeting, and during that time you stood up to get a drink or smoke or pee several times. Of course, as you say "*la* silla", it means that that particular chair had been mentioned before in the conversation. 

Anyway, I think some Spanish speakers do use the sentence as just meaning 'I sat in the chair all day'. It's a rather careless way of speaking, but I've definitely heard it. And the more I think about it, the more I suspect I use myself that kind of meaning.

"me sentaba en la silla todo el día" : same as the previous example, except that you are talking about a regular situation. For example, those day-long meetings happened every month. And again, it could simply mean 'to be seated' in a careless conversation.

By the way, 'in' or 'on' ?
I sat *in* the chair all day
I sat *on* the chair all day


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## Edwin

jmartins said:
			
		

> By the way, 'in' or 'on' ?
> I sat *in* the chair all day
> I sat *on* the chair all day



Jmartins, gracias por tu respuesta.

Normalmente sería ''I sat *in* the chair"--pero ''I sat *on* the stool (or bench).''


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