Introduction

Sentar means “to sit”, and this page covers exactly one thing: sentar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for sentar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about sentar in the present. It means to sit down and to sit, and it is completely regular: sento, sentas, senta, sentamos, sentais, sentam. In everyday speech it often appears with the reflexive pronoun — sentar-se — but the tables on this page give the plain verb. For example: “Ele senta na cadeira todos os dias.” — “He sits on the chair.” Everything on this page uses the forms of sentar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Sentar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu sento
tu sentas
ele/ela senta
nós sentamos
vós sentais
eles/elas sentam
Gerund: sentando · Past participle: sentado
The gerund is sentando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Sentando na cadeira, aprendo muito.” — “While sitting on the chair, I learn a lot.” The past participle is sentado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho sentado is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how sentar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sentar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of sentar is formed

The present tense of sentar has six forms: eu sento, tu sentas, ele senta, nós sentamos, vós sentais, eles sentam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. sentar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of sentar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning sentamos and sentais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so sento can mean both “I sit” and “I am sitting” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because sentar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of sentar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sentar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and sentar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu sento na cadeira todos os dias.” — “I sit on the chair.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about sentar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele senta na cadeira todos os dias.” — “He sits on the chair.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with sentar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós sentamos na cadeira todos os dias.” — “We sit on the chair.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu sentas na cadeira todos os dias.” — “You sit on the chair.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and sentar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles sentam na cadeira todos os dias.” — “They sit on the chair.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele senta na cadeira todos os dias.” — “He sits on the chair”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele sentou na cadeira ontem.” — “He sat on the chair”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu sento na cadeira todos os dias.” — “I sit on the chair”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu sentei na cadeira ontem.” — “I sat on the chair”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu sentas na cadeira todos os dias.” — “You sit on the chair”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu sentaste na cadeira ontem.” — “You sat on the chair”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: sentar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu sento na cadeira todos os dias.” — “I sit on the chair”
  2. “Tu sentas na cadeira todos os dias.” — “You sit on the chair”
  3. “Ele senta na cadeira todos os dias.” — “He sits on the chair”
  4. “Nós sentamos na cadeira todos os dias.” — “We sit on the chair”
  5. “Vós sentais na cadeira todos os dias.” — “You sit on the chair”
  6. “Eles sentam na cadeira todos os dias.” — “They sit on the chair”
  7. “Eu sento na cadeira todos os dias.” — “I sit on the chair”
  8. “Ele senta na cadeira todos os dias.” — “He sits on the chair”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu sentas na cadeira.” Right: “Eu sento na cadeira todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is sento, not sentas. sentas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós sento na cadeira.” Right: “Nós sentamos na cadeira todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form sentamos. sento belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu sento na cadeira todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu sentei na cadeira ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito sentei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu sentar na cadeira.” Right: “Eu sento na cadeira todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive sentar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form sento.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of sentar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sentas
    • B) sento
    • C) senta
    • D) sentamos

  2. What is the tu form of sentar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sento
    • B) senta
    • C) sentas
    • D) sentamos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of sentar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sento
    • B) sentas
    • C) sentamos
    • D) senta

  4. What is the nós form of sentar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sentamos
    • B) sento
    • C) sentas
    • D) senta

  5. What is the vós form of sentar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sento
    • B) sentais
    • C) sentas
    • D) senta

  6. What is the eles/elas form of sentar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sento
    • B) sentas
    • C) sentam
    • D) senta

  7. What is the eu form of sentar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sentas
    • B) senta
    • C) sentamos
    • D) sento

  8. What is the tu form of sentar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sentas
    • B) sento
    • C) senta
    • D) sentamos

Answer key

  1. B) sento — the correct form is sento. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) sentas — the correct form is sentas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) senta — the correct form is senta. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) sentamos — the correct form is sentamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) sentais — the correct form is sentais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) sentam — the correct form is sentam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) sento — the correct form is sento. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) sentas — the correct form is sentas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does sentar mean in English?

sentar means “to sit”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of sentar formed?

The six present forms are: eu sento, tu sentas, ele senta, nós sentamos, vós sentais, eles sentam. sentar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of sentar?

The gerund is sentando and the past participle is sentado.

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