Sit down means to move from standing to sitting on a chair or sofa. Sit somebody down means to get someone to sit for a serious conversation: My dad sat me down and told me the news. As a request, sit down sounds direct, sometimes like an instruction, so to a guest or client people usually say Have a seat or Take a seat.
Want to use sit down in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
sit down (on + chair/sofa; at + table/desk); sit down to + dinner/work; sit sb down (and tell them…)
- After a long day on my feet, I just want to sit down with a cup of tea.
- We sat down at the table by the window and looked at the menu for ages.
- My manager sat me down and explained why the project had been cancelled.
What changed
First versionDinner's ready, so come and sit down behind the table!
RevisionDinner's ready, so come and sit down at the table!
Behind can seem right for taking your place at a table, but behind the table means at the back of it, on the far side. When you sit down at a table to eat or work, the preposition is at: sit down at the table.
Don't confuse sit down and sit up. Sit up means to straighten your back or to sit up from lying down: Sit up straight! or He sat up in bed. Sit down means to lower yourself onto a chair, sofa or bench from standing.
Your turn
The students stood up when the head teacher came in; then she smiled and asked them to ___ again.
Show the answer
sit down — The students were standing and were asked to take their seats again, so sit down. Sit up means to straighten your back or rise from lying down, and a person who is standing doesn't sit that way.
Describe a time when someone sat you down for a serious talk, or you sat someone else down. Say who it was and what the talk was about.
Last spring my older sister sat me down and talked to me about choosing a university.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.