zitten

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch sitten, from Old Dutch sitten, from Proto-West Germanic *sittjan, from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sed-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈzɪtə(n)/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: zit‧ten
  • Rhymes: -ɪtən

Verb

zitten

  1. (intransitive) to sit
    Ze zaten op de bank.
    They were sitting on the couch.
  2. (intransitive) to be, to be placed or located
    Synonyms: liggen, lopen, staan, zijn
    Zijn vinger zit tussen de deur.
    His finger is stuck in the door.
    Ik zit in de trein.
    I am on the train.
    (literally, “I sit in the train.”)
  3. (auxiliary, with te) Forms a continuous aspect. Although it carries an implication of sitting, this is vague and is not strictly required or emphasized.
    Terwijl jij rustig je tijd neemt, zit ik hier voor niets te wachten.
    While you're taking your time, I am waiting here for nothing.
  4. (intransitive, figurative, Netherlands, office jargon) to have a meeting, to consult, to sit down
    Ik zit morgen met de projectleider over de verdere implementatie van het verandertraject.
    Tomorrow, I'll have a meeting with the project manager about the further implementation of the transformation process.
  5. (intransitive, informal) to be in prison
    Hij heeft vijftien jaar gezeten.
    He was in prison for fifteen years.

Conjugation

Conjugation of zitten (strong class 5)
infinitive zitten
past singular zat
past participle gezeten
infinitive zitten
gerund zitten n
present tense past tense
1st person singular zit zat
2nd person sing. (jij) zit zat
2nd person sing. (u) zit zat
2nd person sing. (gij) zit zat
3rd person singular zit zat
plural zitten zaten
subjunctive sing.1 zitte zate
subjunctive plur.1 zitten zaten
imperative sing. zit
imperative plur.1 zit
participles zittend gezeten
1) Archaic.

Derived terms

adjectives
nouns
verbs

Descendants

  • Afrikaans: sit
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: sete
  • Javindo: sitten
  • Jersey Dutch: sätte
  • Negerhollands: sit, set
  • Skepi Creole Dutch: set, sit