01
sich hinsetzen
to sit down
To take a sitting position; to take a seat.
example
Setz dich doch bitte hin, das Essen ist gleich fertig.
Please sit down, the food will be ready in a moment.
hinsetzen
to sit down / set down
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Separable verb
'Hinsetzen' (to sit down / set down) is a separable verb. The prefix 'hin-' comes at the end in a main clause. In an infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' comes between 'hin' and 'setzen'.
EXAMPLE
Er setzte sich auf den freien Stuhl hin.
He sat down on the free chair.
Reflexive vs. transitive
This verb has two main patterns: 'sich hinsetzen' (to sit down) is reflexive and means that you take a seat yourself. 'Jemanden/etwas hinsetzen' (to set someone/something down) is transitive and means that you place another person or an object somewhere.
EXAMPLE
Ich setze mich auf das Sofa.
I sit down on the sofa.
Common mistake
If you want to say that you are sitting down, don't forget the reflexive pronoun ('mich', 'dich', 'sich', etc.). The sentence 'Ich setze hin' is incomplete and incorrect.
EXAMPLE
Setz dich bitte zu uns an den Tisch!
Please sit down with us at the table!
Sentence structure with location
When you state the place where you sit down, you often use prepositions such as 'auf' (+ accusative), 'an' (+ accusative), or 'neben' (+ accusative).
EXAMPLE
Sie setzte sich neben ihre Freundin auf die Parkbank.
She sat down next to her friend on the park bench.
Compare with
hinsetzen vs setzen
to set / put
'setzen' and 'hinsetzen' are especially close in 'sich setzen' and 'sich hinsetzen'. Both mean that someone sits down. 'sich setzen' sounds neutral and works in almost all situations. 'sich hinsetzen' emphasizes the movement toward a place a bit more and sounds very natural in everyday speech, especially as an instruction: 'Setz dich hin.' (Sit down.) With things or people, 'setzen' is more general, while 'hinsetzen' refers more strongly to the specific place. Learners can easily confuse the words because both can often be correct. In many everyday sentences, the difference is small.
hinsetzen
Herr Schwarz setzt sich zu Hause an den Küchentisch hin und liest die Post.
At home, Mr. Schwarz sits down at the kitchen table and reads the mail.
setzen
Nach dem langen Spaziergang setzt sich Emma auf die Bank im Park.
After the long walk, Emma sits down on the bench in the park.
In real life
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