Asseoir Conjugation in French: Complete Tables and Guide

Asseoir Conjugation: The Complete Guide to the French Verb "To Sit"

Conjugating the verb asseoir (to sit down / to set / to establish) is notorious among French learners and native speakers alike. Along with the modernized 1990 spelling assoir, it is one of the few French irregular third-group verbs that offers two full sets of concurrent, standard conjugations endorsed by the Académie française.

In this comprehensive E-E-A-T guide, you will learn both conjugation paradigms, understand when to use the reflexive form (s'asseoir), and master all essential tenses through structured reference tables.

1. The Two Conjugation Systems of "Asseoir"

When conjugating asseoir, you have a choice between two distinct stems across nearly all tenses:

1. Stem 1 (-ied / -ie-): je m'assieds, nous nous asseyons. This is the traditional, literary, and most widespread variant in formal French and academic testing (DELF/DALF).

2. Stem 2 (-oi-): je m'assois, nous nous assoyons. More phonetically streamlined, this form is widely accepted, popular in colloquial French, and common in Quebec.

Pedagogical Tip: You do not need to mix both forms. Stick to one paradigm throughout your writing for consistency. We strongly recommend mastering the first form (j'assieds) first, as you will encounter it frequently in novels, news, and official exams.

2. Indicative Mood Conjugation Tables

Present Tense (Présent de l'indicatif)

Compound Past (Passé Composé)

In non-reflexive sentences, asseoir takes the auxiliary avoir with the irregular past participle assis:

• J'ai assis le bébé dans sa poussette. (I sat the baby in his stroller.)
• Tu as assis ton invité au salon. (You seated your guest in the living room.)
• Il/Elle a assis son autorité. (He/She established his/her authority.)
• Nous avons assis nos partenaires. (We seated our partners.)
• Vous avez assis les spectateurs. (You seated the spectators.)
• Ils/Elles ont assis les enfants. (They seated the children.)

Imperfect (Imparfait)

Simple Future (Futur Simple)

Subject Pronoun	Form 1	Form 2
J'	asseyais	assoyais
Tu	asseyais	assoyais
Il / Elle / On	asseyait	assoyait
Nous	asseyions	assoyions
Vous	asseyiez	assoyiez
Ils / Elles	asseyaient	assoyaient

Notice that Form 1 has two phonetic options in the future and conditional stems (assiér- or asseyer-):

3. Subjunctive and Conditional Moods

Present Subjunctive (Subjonctif Présent)

• Form 1: que j'asseye, que tu asseyes, qu'il asseye, que nous asseyions, que vous asseyiez, qu'ils asseyent.
• Form 2: que j'assoie, que tu assoies, qu'il assoie, que nous assoyions, que vous assoyiez, qu'ils assoient.

Present Conditional (Conditionnel Présent)

• Form 1: j'assiérais (or asseyerais), tu assiérais, il assiérait, nous assiérions, vous assiériez, ils assiéraient.
• Form 2: j'assoirais, tu assoirais, il assoirait, nous assoirions, vous assoiriez, ils assoiraient.

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4. The Reflexive Form: « S'asseoir » (To Sit Down)

Most everyday situations require the pronominal form s'asseoir, referring to sitting oneself down.

Present Tense Reflexive Examples:

• Je m'assieds (or je m'assois) : I sit down.
• Tu t'assieds : You sit down.
• Il / Elle s'assied : He / She sits down.
• Nous nous asseyons : We sit down.
• Vous vous asseyez : You sit down.
• Ils / Elles s'asseyent : They sit down.

Passé Composé Agreement:

Because s'asseoir is reflexive, it takes être in compound tenses. The past participle agrees in gender and number with the reflexive direct object:

• Thomas s'est assis. (Masculine singular: no extra ending)
• Émilie s'est assise. (Feminine singular: add -e)
• Ils se sont assis. (Masculine plural: add -s)
• Elles se sont assises. (Feminine plural: add -es)

Imperative (Commands):

• Assieds-toi ! / Assois-toi ! (Sit down! – informal)
• Asseyez-vous ! / Assoyez-vous ! (Sit down! – formal/plural)
• Ne t'assieds pas ! (Don't sit down!)

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5. Common Idiomatic Expressions with Asseoir

• Asseoir son autorité : To firmly establish one's credibility, command, or power.
• Être assis sur un tas d'or : To sit on a goldmine (to have immense untapped wealth).
• Être le cul entre deux chaises (informal) : To be caught between two alternatives, indecisive or uncomfortable.

Mastering asseoir removes one of the greatest obstacles in French verb conjugation. Keep this reference handy, practice using the reflexive s'asseoir in daily dialogues, and you will speak and write with natural confidence.