Sentar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Sentar in Spanish

Sentar means “to seat” or “to sit someone down.” You will learn its e → ie stem change in present-family forms, its regular past and future families, and its commands.

Sentar conjugation at a glance

Sentar means “to seat / to sit someone down.” Verb type: Irregular. The key linguistic pattern is explained below so the project label does not hide how the verb actually behaves.

• sentar — to seat / to sit someone down
• sentando — seating
• sentado — seated

Sentar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund helps build progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — the perfect auxiliary — in compound forms. With haber, the participle does not change for gender or number.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	sentar	to seat / to sit someone down
Gerund	sentando	seating
Past participle	sentado	seated
Compound infinitive	haber sentado	to have seated
Compound gerund	habiendo sentado	having seated

Sentar meaning and essential uses

The primary meaning here is “to seat / to sit someone down.” These examples show the central uses needed to interpret the conjugated forms in this lesson.

• Siento al niño en una silla segura. — I seat the child in a safe chair.
• La anfitriona sentó a los invitados cerca de la ventana. — The host seated the guests near the window.
• Ese color te sienta bien. — That color suits you.

Sentar conjugation pattern

Sentar is an -AR stem-changing verb. In stressed present-family forms, e changes to ie: siento — I seat, sienta — he / she / you (formal) seats, and sienten — they / you (plural) seat. Nosotros and vosotros keep e in forms such as sentamos — we seat and sentéis — that you (plural) seat.

Sentar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Sentar present tense conjugation

Use the present indicative for current situations, routines, repeated actions, and general facts involving this verb. The Spanish label is el presente de indicativo — present indicative.

Use the e → ie stem in stressed forms: siento — I seat, sientas — you seat, sienta — he / she / you (formal) seats, and sientan — they / you (plural) seat. Sentamos — we seat and sentáis — you (plural, informal) seat keep e.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	siento	I seat
Tú — you, singular informal	sientas	you seat
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sienta	he / she seats; you seat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentamos	we seat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentáis	you (plural, informal) seat
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sientan	they / you (plural) seat

• Siento a los niños en la primera fila. — I seat the children in the first row.

Sentar preterite conjugation

Use the preterite for completed or bounded past events, viewed as finished rather than background or habit. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido — preterite.

Use the standard preterite endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	senté	I seated
Tú — you, singular informal	sentaste	you seated
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentó	he / she seated; you seated (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentamos	we seated
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentasteis	you (plural, informal) seated
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentaron	they / you (plural) seated

• La encargada sentó a los invitados por orden. — The attendant seated the guests in order.

Sentar imperfect conjugation

Use the imperfect for habitual, repeated, descriptive, or ongoing past situations without a completed boundary. The Spanish label is el pretérito imperfecto — imperfect.

Use the standard imperfect endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentaba	I used to seat
Tú — you, singular informal	sentabas	you used to seat
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentaba	he / she used to seat; you used to seat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentábamos	we used to seat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentabais	you (plural, informal) used to seat
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentaban	they / you (plural) used to seat

• Siempre sentábamos a los abuelos cerca de la puerta. — We always used to seat the grandparents near the door.

Sentar present progressive

Use the present progressive for an action in progress around the present moment. This is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish label is la perífrasis estar + gerundio — present progressive periphrasis.

Build the present progressive with estar — to be as an auxiliary — plus sentando — seating.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy sentando	I am seating
Tú — you, singular informal	estás sentando	you are seating
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está sentando	he / she is seating; you are seating (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos sentando	we are seating
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis sentando	you (plural, informal) are seating
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están sentando	they / you (plural) are seating

• Estoy sentando a los participantes por grupos. — I am seating the participants in groups.

Sentar near future conjugation

Use the near future for plans or events viewed as approaching or already intended. This is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish label is la perífrasis ir a + infinitivo — near-future periphrasis.

Build the near future with ir a — to be going to — plus sentar — seat.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a sentar	I am going to seat
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a sentar	you are going to seat
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a sentar	he / she is going to seat; you are going to seat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a sentar	we are going to seat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a sentar	you (plural, informal) are going to seat
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a sentar	they / you (plural) are going to seat

• Voy a sentar a Ana junto a Luis. — I am going to seat Ana next to Luis.

Sentar future tense conjugation

Use the simple future for future events and, where context supports it, probability or conjecture. The Spanish label is el futuro simple — simple future.

Add the future endings directly to sentar — seat.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentaré	I will seat
Tú — you, singular informal	sentarás	you will seat
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentará	he / she will seat; you will seat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentaremos	we will seat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentaréis	you (plural, informal) will seat
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentarán	they / you (plural) will seat

• Sentaremos a los niños delante. — We will seat the children in front.

Sentar conditional conjugation

Use the conditional for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or future-in-the-past meanings. The Spanish label is el condicional simple — conditional.

Add the conditional endings directly to sentar — seat.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentaría	I would seat
Tú — you, singular informal	sentarías	you would seat
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentaría	he / she would seat; you would seat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentaríamos	we would seat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentaríais	you (plural, informal) would seat
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentarían	they / you (plural) would seat

• Sentaría a los invitados cerca de la ventana. — I would seat the guests near the window.

Sentar present perfect conjugation

Use the present perfect for past actions connected to the present. Its distribution varies across Spanish-speaking regions. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto compuesto — present perfect.

Combine the present forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentado — seated.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he sentado	I have seated
Tú — you, singular informal	has sentado	you have seated
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha sentado	he / she has seated; you have seated (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos sentado	we have seated
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis sentado	you (plural, informal) have seated
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han sentado	they / you (plural) have seated

• Ya hemos sentado a todos los asistentes. — We have already seated all the attendees.

Sentar past perfect conjugation

Use the past perfect for an action completed before another past reference point. The Spanish label is el pretérito pluscuamperfecto — past perfect / pluperfect.

Combine the imperfect forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentado — seated.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había sentado	I had seated
Tú — you, singular informal	habías sentado	you had seated
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había sentado	he / she had seated; you had seated (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos sentado	we had seated
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais sentado	you (plural, informal) had seated
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían sentado	they / you (plural) had seated

• Habían sentado a los niños antes de empezar. — They had seated the children before starting.

Sentar future perfect conjugation

Use the future perfect for an action expected to be completed before a future reference point. The Spanish label is el futuro compuesto — future perfect.

Combine the future forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentado — seated.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré sentado	I will have seated
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás sentado	you will have seated
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá sentado	he / she will have seated; you will have seated (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos sentado	we will have seated
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis sentado	you (plural, informal) will have seated
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán sentado	they / you (plural) will have seated

• Para las ocho, habrán sentado a todo el público. — By eight, they will have seated the entire audience.

Sentar conditional perfect conjugation

Use the conditional perfect for a hypothetical past result or an outcome that would have occurred under different circumstances. The Spanish label is el condicional compuesto — conditional perfect.

Combine the conditional forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentado — seated.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría sentado	I would have seated
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías sentado	you would have seated
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría sentado	he / she would have seated; you would have seated (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos sentado	we would have seated
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais sentado	you (plural, informal) would have seated
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían sentado	they / you (plural) would have seated

• Habríamos sentado a más personas con otra mesa. — We would have seated more people with another table.

Sentar subjunctive conjugations

Sentar present subjunctive conjugation

Use the present subjunctive in subordinate clauses triggered by wishes, influence, emotion, evaluation, doubt, necessity, possibility, or similar environments. The Spanish label is el presente de subjuntivo — present subjunctive.

Use e → ie in the stressed present-subjunctive forms, but keep e in nosotros and vosotros: siente — that I / he / she / you (formal) seat, sentemos — that we seat, and sentéis — that you (plural, informal) seat.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	siente	that I seat
Tú — you, singular informal	sientes	that you seat
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	siente	that he / she seat; that you seat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentemos	that we seat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentéis	that you (plural, informal) seat
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sienten	that they / you (plural) seat

• Quiero que sientes a Marta cerca de mí. — I want you to seat Marta near me.

Sentar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the imperfect subjunctive in past or hypothetical subordinate contexts, including reported wishes, requests, evaluations, and conditions. The Spanish label is el imperfecto de subjuntivo — imperfect subjunctive.

The main table uses the accepted -ra series, built from the third-person plural preterite stem. The accepted -se series is shown after the main examples.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentara	that I seated / were to seat
Tú — you, singular informal	sentaras	that you seated / were to seat
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentara	that he / she seated / were to seat; that you seated / were to seat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentáramos	that we seated / were to seat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentarais	that you (plural, informal) seated / were to seat
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentaran	that they / you (plural) seated / were to seat

• Pidieron que sentáramos a los invitados por familias. — They asked us to seat the guests by families.

The accepted -se series is also standard in many contexts; it should not be substituted mechanically where a construction has a documented preference or restriction.

• sentase — that I seated / were to seat
• sentases — that you seated / were to seat
• sentase — that he / she / you (formal) seated / were to seat
• sentásemos — that we seated / were to seat
• sentaseis — that you (plural, informal) seated / were to seat
• sentasen — that they / you (plural) seated / were to seat

Sentar future subjunctive conjugation

Use the future subjunctive only as a reference form for rare modern uses, especially formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical language. The Spanish label is el futuro de subjuntivo — future subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

This reference paradigm comes from the same past-stem family used by the imperfect subjunctive. It is rare in modern everyday Spanish and survives mainly in formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical contexts.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentare	that I should seat (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	sentares	that you should seat (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentare	that he / she should seat (rare/formal); that you should seat (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentáremos	that we should seat (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentareis	that you (plural, informal) should seat (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentaren	that they / you (plural) should seat (rare/formal)

• Si alguien sentare a un menor en esta zona, deberá acompañarlo. — If anyone should seat a minor in this area, they must accompany the child.

Sentar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the present perfect subjunctive for a completed action viewed through a present subjunctive trigger. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo — present perfect subjunctive.

Combine the present subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentado — seated.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya sentado	that I have seated
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas sentado	that you have seated
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya sentado	that he / she has seated; that you have seated (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos sentado	that we have seated
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis sentado	that you (plural, informal) have seated
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan sentado	that they / you (plural) have seated

• Me alegra que hayas sentado a todos correctamente. — I am glad that you have seated everyone correctly.

Sentar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the past perfect subjunctive for an action completed before another past or hypothetical reference point in a subjunctive context. The Spanish label is el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo — past perfect subjunctive.

Combine the -ra imperfect subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentado — seated. The hubiese series is also accepted and is shown below.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera sentado	that I had seated
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras sentado	that you had seated
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera sentado	that he / she had seated; that you had seated (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos sentado	that we had seated
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais sentado	that you (plural, informal) had seated
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran sentado	that they / you (plural) had seated

• Ojalá hubieran sentado a los niños más cerca. — I wish they had seated the children closer.

The hubiese series is an accepted alternative in many contexts.

• hubiese sentado — that I had seated
• hubieses sentado — that you had seated
• hubiese sentado — that he / she / you (formal) had seated
• hubiésemos sentado — that we had seated
• hubieseis sentado — that you (plural, informal) had seated
• hubiesen sentado — that they / you (plural) had seated

Sentar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the future perfect subjunctive as a rare reference form for an action completed before another future point in formal or historical-style contexts. The Spanish label is el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo — future perfect subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

Combine the future subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentado — seated. This system is rare in modern everyday Spanish.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere sentado	that I should have seated (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres sentado	that you should have seated (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere sentado	that he / she should have seated (rare/formal); that you should have seated (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos sentado	that we should have seated (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis sentado	that you (plural, informal) should have seated (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren sentado	that they / you (plural) should have seated (rare/formal)

• Si alguien hubiere sentado a un menor allí, deberá comunicarlo. — If anyone should have seated a minor there, they must report it.

Sentar imperative and commands

Commands address other people directly. Spanish uses imperative forms and present-subjunctive forms according to person and polarity; there is no ordinary yo command.

Sentar affirmative commands

The informal singular command is sienta — seat someone, while formal and plural forms draw on the present subjunctive where applicable. The e → ie change appears in stressed command forms.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	sienta	seat someone!
Usted — you, singular formal	siente	seat someone! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	sentemos	let’s seat someone!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentad	seat someone! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	sienten	seat someone! (plural)

• Sienta a los niños junto a la pared. — Seat the children by the wall.

Sentar negative commands

Negative commands use present-subjunctive-based forms and have no ordinary yo command.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no sientes	do not seat someone!
Usted — you, singular formal	no siente	do not seat someone! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	no sentemos	let’s not seat someone!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no sentéis	do not seat someone! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no sienten	do not seat someone! (plural)

• No sientes a nadie delante de la puerta. — Do not seat anyone in front of the door.

Common constructions with Sentar

For the transitive sense, sentar a alguien en + place means to seat someone in a place. The verb also has an intransitive use in expressions such as sentar bien — to suit or agree with someone.

• Siento a Laura en la primera fila. — I seat Laura in the first row.
• Ese corte de pelo te sienta bien. — That haircut suits you.

Example sentences with Sentar

These examples reinforce the target verb across several useful systems and contexts.

• Siento a los niños antes de servir la comida. — I seat the children before serving the meal.
• Ayer sentamos a los invitados por grupos. — Yesterday we seated the guests in groups.
• El profesor sentaba a cada alumno en un lugar fijo. — The teacher used to seat each student in a fixed place.
• Voy a sentar a Marta junto a la puerta. — I am going to seat Marta by the door.
• Es mejor que sientes al niño lejos del pasillo. — It is better that you seat the child away from the aisle.
• Ya han sentado a todos los asistentes. — They have already seated all the attendees.
• Sentad a los niños en la primera fila. — Seat the children in the first row.
• No sientes a nadie delante de esa salida. — Do not seat anyone in front of that exit.

Regional and usage notes for Sentar

In voseo regions, RAE records vos sentás — you seat and the affirmative command sentá — seat someone. These forms do not use the e → ie change found in the core tú present pattern. The core tables retain tú and vosotros for project comparability.

Rare and reference forms of Sentar

The future subjunctive and future perfect subjunctive above are already marked as rare in modern everyday Spanish. The preterite anterior is another formal or literary reference form and is uncommon in present-day conversation.

• Apenas hube sentado a los invitados, comenzó la ceremonia. — As soon as I had seated the guests, the ceremony began.

Use Sentar by choosing the time frame first and then applying its verified stem, spelling, or pronoun pattern. Keep rare reference systems distinct from the forms used in ordinary modern conversation.