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
hinsetzen
to set down
To put someone or something in a particular place in a sitting or standing position.
EXAMPLE
Die Mutter setzte ihr Kind vorsichtig in den Hochstuhl.
The mother carefully set her child in the high chair.
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.
In real life
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