Sit past tense

Meaning of sit

to rest with the body supported by the buttocks or thighs, typically on a chair or the ground.

Infinitive

Word: sit /sɪt/

Examples:

1. Every morning, I sit by the window to enjoy my coffee and watch the sunrise.
2. She sits at the front of the classroom to hear the teacher better.
3. He often sits in the park during his lunch break to relax and clear his mind.

Past Simple

Word: sat /sæt/

Examples:

1. After a long day of hiking, she finally sat on a large rock to rest her tired legs.
2. The cat sat at the window, watching the birds fly by with great interest.
3. They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, as the sun set in the horizon.

Past Participle

Word: sat /sæt/

Examples:

1. The book has been sat on the table for hours.
2. All the seats had been sat in by the time we got to the theater.
3. The responsibilities have been sat upon by the committee for too long without action.

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Bare infinitive. 'sit'

Describing Habitual Actions. Use the present simple for routines or habits.
Example. 'I sit by the window every morning to enjoy my coffee.'
Stating Facts. When you are stating a fact.
Example. 'She sits in that chair when she knits.'
Scheduled Events in the Near Future. Sometimes, the present simple is used for scheduled events.
Example. 'The meeting sits at 10 am tomorrow.'

Past simple. 'sat'

Completed Actions in the Past. Use the past simple form to talk about actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
Example. 'Yesterday, I sat at the back of the classroom.'
Narration or Telling a Story. When telling a story or narrating events that happened in the past.
Example. 'He walked into the room, saw his friends, and sat with them.'

Past participle. 'sat'

Perfect Tenses. The past participle form is used in perfect tenses to talk about actions that have a connection between the past and the present.
Example. Present Perfect. 'I have sat in this chair for hours, waiting for your call.'
Example. Future Perfect. 'By the end of the day, he will have sat through three meetings.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

A common mistake is using a non-existent form 'sitted' instead of the correct past simple form 'sat.' This error arises from the natural inclination to add -ed to verbs to form their past tense, which is typical for regular verbs but not applicable to the irregular verb 'sit.' The correct usage is 'Yesterday, I sat on the bench,' not 'Yesterday, I sitted on the bench.'

— 02

Using 'sit' as the past participle

Another mistake involves misunderstanding the past participle form of 'sit.' In this case, the error is less about using the wrong word and more about recognizing that 'sit' is an irregular verb whose past simple and past participle forms are identical, both being 'sat.' A common error is thinking there should be a distinct form for each. Correctly, it should be 'I have sat in this chair before,' not 'I have sit in this chair before.'

— 03

Regular verb rules

A frequent error is treating 'sit' as a regular verb, leading to incorrect forms like 'sitted' for the past participle. This mistake is due to the habit of adding -ed to create past tense forms. It's important to remember that 'sit' is irregular, and both its past simple and past participle forms do not adhere to the regular verb pattern. The correct form is 'I had never sat in such a comfortable chair before,' not 'I had never sitted in such a comfortable chair before.'

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Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'sit'?

The past simple form of 'sit' is 'sat.' The past participle form is also 'sat.' These forms are used to indicate actions that happened at a specific time in the past or are used in perfect tenses, respectively.

How do I use the past simple form 'sat' in a sentence?

You use 'sat' to talk about a completed action that happened at a definite time in the past. For example. Yesterday, I sat on the bench at the park for hours. She sat at her desk all morning. In these sentences, 'sat' indicates actions that were completed in the past at specific times.

How is the past participle 'sat' used in sentences?

The past participle 'sat' is used in perfect tenses to talk about actions that have an impact on the present or were completed at an unspecified time in the past. It is used with auxiliary verbs like 'have' or 'had.' For example. I have sat in this chair for three hours now. By the time the concert started, we had sat there for over an hour. These sentences use 'sat' in the present perfect and past perfect tenses, respectively.

Can you give me an example of a mistake people often make with 'sat' and how to correct it?

A common mistake is using 'sat' when 'sitted' (a non-standard form) is mistakenly thought to be correct. People might also incorrectly use 'sit' or 'sitted' as the past participle. Here's how to correct it. Incorrect. I have sit/sitted there yesterday. Correct. I sat there yesterday. (If referring to a specific time in the past) Correct. I have sat there before. (If referring to an experience up to the present) Remember, 'sat' is both the past simple and past participle form, so there's no need to alter it or use 'sitted.'