Base
I sit near the window in class every day.
Every day marks a present routine.
Past Tense of Sit: Sat and Sat
Sit is an irregular verb. The past tense and the past participle are the same form: sat. Use sat for a finished action and after have or has.
Base
sit
Past
sat
Past participle
sat
Third person: sits · -ing form: sitting
ABB: form patternExamples
Base
Please sit down and wait here.
Sit down means go from standing to sitting.
Past
She sat next to her brother on the bus.
Sat is the past form; it does not need have.
Past
We sat in the garden after dinner.
After dinner is a finished time, so use sat.
Past participle
I have sat here for an hour.
After have, the participle is sat.
Past participle
The cat has sat on my chair all day.
The participle has the same form as the past.
Usage notes
Sit or seat?
Sit is what you do: sit on a chair. Seat means put someone in a place: The waiter seated us by the window. A seat is also the thing you sit on. For yourself, use sit.
Was sat in British English
In informal British English, people say I was sat on the sofa. American English and careful writing use I was sitting on the sofa.
Common mistakes
I sitted on the sofa.
I sat on the sofa.
Sit is irregular. Its past form is sat, not sitted.
She has sit here since noon.
She has sat here since noon.
After has, use the past participle sat.
He seated down on the chair.
He sat down on the chair.
Seat needs an object, as in seat a guest. To move yourself into a chair, use sit down.
Practise this verb
0/8
Choose the right form
Choose the form that completes each English sentence.
1.We ___ in the front row yesterday.
2.My dad has ___ in that chair since lunch.
3.Please ___ down and open your book.
4.Which word means to put someone in a place?
Write the missing form
Type the correct form of sit in each sentence.
Correct the mistake
Rewrite the English sentence with the correct verb form.
8.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
Answer key
1. We ___ in the front row yesterday.
Answer: sat
Yesterday is a finished past time, so use sat.
2. My dad has ___ in that chair since lunch.
Answer: sat
Has takes the past participle sat.
3. Please ___ down and open your book.
Answer: sit
An instruction uses the base form sit.
4. Which word means to put someone in a place?
Answer: seat
Seat needs an object: seat a guest. Sit is what you do yourself.
5. The children ___ on the floor last night.
Answer: sat
Last night is finished, so the past is sat.
6. I have ___ here for ten minutes.
Answer: sat
Have plus the participle is have sat.
7. She is ___ next to me now.
Answer: sitting
The -ing form doubles the t: sitting.
8. He sitted down quietly.
Answer: He sat down quietly.
The past of sit is sat, not sitted.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past tense of sit?
The past tense of sit is sat: She sat by the door.
What is the difference between sit and seat?
Sit is what you do yourself: I sit on the sofa. Seat means put someone in a place: The waiter seated us.
Is sitted a word?
No. Sit is irregular. The past tense and the past participle are both sat.