I use Word Reference as my bilingual dictionary. Here's their note on the two spellings. Note: "ass(e)oir" and "rass(e)oir" have two conjugations. The conjugated forms with an "e" are more common than those with an "o".
S'asseoir (or s'assoir) is a peculiar verb in that it has two accepted conjugations in Le Présent. They are equally correct and mean exactly the same thing.
Here are both conjugations of S'ASSEOIR (to sit down) in Le Présent:
| 1st conjugation | 2nd conjugation | English |
| je m'assois | je m'assieds | I sit down / I'm sitting down |
| tu t'assois | tu t'assieds | you sit down / you're sitting down |
| il s'assoit | il s'assied | he/she/one sit down / he/she/one is sitting down |
| nous nous assoyons | nous nous asseyons | we sit down / we're sitting down |
| vous vous assoyez | vous vous asseyez | you sit down / you're sitting down |
| ils s'assoient | ils s'asseyent | they sit down / they're sitting down |
Note that these two conjugations have different pronunciations:
Je m'assieds avec toi.
Je m'assois avec toi.
I sit down with you.
Tu t'assieds discrètement.
Tu t'assois discrètement.
You're sitting down quietly.
Elle s'assied avec Paul.
Elle s'assoit avec Paul.
She's sitting with Paul.
Nous nous asseyons ici tous les jours.
Nous nous assoyons ici tous les jours.
We sit here every day.
Vous vous asseyez avec nous ?
Vous vous assoyez avec nous ?
Are you sitting with us?
Ils s'asseyent sur le banc.
Ils s'assoient sur le banc.
They're sitting down on the bench.
Remember that to conjugate a reflexive verb in Le Présent, you need to agree the reflexive pronom se (infinitive: se laver, se raser...) with each person, as follows:
je me / m'
tu te / t'
il, elle, on se / s' + verb conjugated in the right form
nous nous
vous vous
ils, elles se / s'
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Je m'assieds avec toi.
Je m'assois avec toi.
I sit down with you.
Ils s'asseyent sur le banc.
Ils s'assoient sur le banc.
They're sitting down on the bench.
Tu t'assieds discrètement.
Tu t'assois discrètement.
You're sitting down quietly.
Nous nous asseyons ici tous les jours.
Nous nous assoyons ici tous les jours.
We sit here every day.
Elle s'assied avec Paul.
Elle s'assoit avec Paul.
She's sitting with Paul.
Vous vous asseyez avec nous ?
Vous vous assoyez avec nous ?
Are you sitting with us?
Q&A Forum 9 questions, 17 answers
White asked:View original
A note on the spelling options
I use Word Reference as my bilingual dictionary. Here's their note on the two spellings. Note: "ass(e)oir" and "rass(e)oir" have two conjugations. The conjugated forms with an "e" are more common than those with an "o".
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Claudia Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
The audio in this lesson is beautiful! Merci beaucoup
Asked 8 months ago
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AndreyKwiziq community member
In the statement bellow why is s'assied used instead of s'assoit
Tina ________ avec grâce.Tina sits down gracefully.HINT: Conjugate s'asseoir (to sit down) in Le PrésentThanks
Asked 8 months ago
Andrey asked:View original
In the statement bellow why is s'assied used instead of s'assoit
Tina ________ avec grâce.Tina sits down gracefully.HINT: Conjugate s'asseoir (to sit down) in Le PrésentThanks
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Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Sound the same?
Is there any difference in pronunciation between Ils s'assoient and Il
s'assoit if the following word starts with a consonant? If not, how can you tell which is meant if the context doesn't make it clear?
s'assoit if the following word starts with a consonant? If not, how can you tell which is meant if the context doesn't make it clear?
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Melisa,
Both 'ils s'assoient' and 'il s'assoit' sound the same.
If the context is not clear you would have to ask for clarification.
Hope this helps!
Melisa asked:View original
Sound the same?
Is there any difference in pronunciation between Ils s'assoient and Il
s'assoit if the following word starts with a consonant? If not, how can you tell which is meant if the context doesn't make it clear?
s'assoit if the following word starts with a consonant? If not, how can you tell which is meant if the context doesn't make it clear?
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StuartKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Common Latin root?
Does the verb s'asseoir and the crude English word for one's posterior share a common root?
Asked 1 year ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Stuart,
No, they are from different roots.
Ass/arse in the meaning of slang for butt/behind, comes from the Latin asinus meaning donkey.
Asseoir derives from Latin assidere (to sit down).
Stuart asked:View original
Common Latin root?
Does the verb s'asseoir and the crude English word for one's posterior share a common root?
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GrahamKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
General question - How do you transfer a lesson from one notebook to another?
Asked 1 year ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Graham, I guess you would have to remove it from one notebook and add it in the other one. I don't know of a more direct way.
-- Chris.
Graham asked:View original
General question - How do you transfer a lesson from one notebook to another?
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Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Please explain the reason for 2 different conjugations with this verb
I have noticed this peculiarity with s'asseoir as well as a couple of other verbs in French; however, I have never read or found an explanation for the reason this exists like such.
Asked 2 years ago
Hi both,
This is an interesting one! Indeed you will hear a mixture of both conjugations in spoken language but I think in the Imperative you might hear,
Assieds-toi, Asseyons-nous and Asseyez-vous
more than the other one.
Hope this helps!
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Couldn't find an explicit reason either. Etymologically it is probably a coexisting older root with a newer version which developed in some other geographical region. But that's just a guess. It's funny but at least some French people tend to mix the two conjugations and use one (je m'assois) in the singular and the other (nous asseyons) in the plural.
Go figure.
-- Chris.
-- Chris.
Ron asked:View original
Please explain the reason for 2 different conjugations with this verb
I have noticed this peculiarity with s'asseoir as well as a couple of other verbs in French; however, I have never read or found an explanation for the reason this exists like such.
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JaneKwiziq community member
Est-ce que je peux dire " Je m'assois mais tu t'assieds"?
Must one pick one way for an entire essay, or paragraph or sentence? Or can one mix them up freely?
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Jane !
Well, I would say it's a bit weird to mix them up, especially because one is considered slightly more elegant (assieds) than the other (assois).
It would be like mixing American and British spellings in the same essay: not a complete horror, but it would make your essay feel a bit inconsistent...
I hope that answers your question!
À bientôt !
Jane asked:View original
Est-ce que je peux dire " Je m'assois mais tu t'assieds"?
Must one pick one way for an entire essay, or paragraph or sentence? Or can one mix them up freely?
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MelodyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
The table is labeled oppositely to another I have seen
http://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/conjugaison/verbe/s%27asseoir.html
The lists here are numbered oppositely to the link above (1st form 2nd form).
The Figaro site says:
La réforme de l'orthographe de 1990 autorise à écrire le verbe asseoir sous la forme assoir.
I don't know the conventions of the figaro site- thus I don't know which form is the pre 1990 one, and which is post 1990. I don't know enough about verb conjugations to guess which is for s'asseoir and which is for s'assoir (same applies to this lesson). It would be helpful to give info here as to which is which.
Kwiziq uses Connaître, which according to figaro is the pre-1990 version (as do other teaching sites I've seen). Same for figaro
http://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/conjugaison/verbe/connaitre.html
It says however:
La réforme de l'orthographe de 1990 autorise à écrire le verbe connaître sous la forme connaitre.
By comparison with s'asseoir and s'assoir, there's hardly any difference in conjugation of connaitre vs connaître (circomflex).
Asked 3 years ago
MelodyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
continued
By comparison with s'asseoir and s'assoir, there's hardly any difference in conjugation of connaitre vs connaître (circomflex), so it doesn’t present a challenge.
This site gives some helpful information re: s'asseoir and s'assoir, but still doesn’t tell me which version is being conjugated.
http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/sassoir-sasseoir.3075579/
As a general question, does Kwiziq mostly stick to pre-1990 orthography? It never would have occurred to me to ask before now.
Any other insights would be welcome. btw, I as someone trying to learn French, I like the circomflex! Sometimes it indicates a “missing s” (in etymological terms), an “s” that persists in English.
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Melody !
In the case of "s'asseoir" vs "s'assoir", it only affects the spelling of the infinitive, probably to make it match the 1st conjugation "je m'assois"etc
As for the order of the conjugation, we reversed it thanks to your remark.
We've also had a look at the "connaître" lesson, to reflect the case you mentioned.
Merci et à bientôt !
Melody asked:View original
The table is labeled oppositely to another I have seen
http://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/conjugaison/verbe/s%27asseoir.html
The lists here are numbered oppositely to the link above (1st form 2nd form).
The Figaro site says:
La réforme de l'orthographe de 1990 autorise à écrire le verbe asseoir sous la forme assoir.
I don't know the conventions of the figaro site- thus I don't know which form is the pre 1990 one, and which is post 1990. I don't know enough about verb conjugations to guess which is for s'asseoir and which is for s'assoir (same applies to this lesson). It would be helpful to give info here as to which is which.
Kwiziq uses Connaître, which according to figaro is the pre-1990 version (as do other teaching sites I've seen). Same for figaro
http://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/conjugaison/verbe/connaitre.html
It says however:
La réforme de l'orthographe de 1990 autorise à écrire le verbe connaître sous la forme connaitre.
By comparison with s'asseoir and s'assoir, there's hardly any difference in conjugation of connaitre vs connaître (circomflex).
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