🪑👍

How to Say ‘Feel free to sit down’ in German

Setzen Sie sich ruhig

ZET-sen ZEE zikh ROO-ikh

[ZET-sen ZEE zikh ROO-ikh]

💬 Usage Tip: ruhig normally means "quiet" or "calm", but after a request it means "go ahead, feel free". Another example is Fragen Sie ruhig "feel free to ask".

Phrase Breakdown

Setzen Sie

ZET-sen ZEE

Sit (formal)

The first part of 'sich setzen' (to sit down). The 'tz' sounds like 'ts'. Stress 'SET'.

Example

Setzen Sie sich bitte.

Please sit down.

Words in this phrase

Setzen

[ZET-sen]

sit (down), set

Used reflexively with 'hin' to mean to sit down.

Example

Setzen Sie sich bitte.

Please sit down.

Sie

[ZEE]

You (formal)

Formal way to address someone.

Example

Sind Sie bereit zu bestellen?

Are you ready to order?

sich ruhig

zikh ROO-ikh

yourself / go ahead

'sich' completes the reflexive verb. 'ruhig' here means 'feel free'. Say it 'ROO-ish', with a soft 'ch' at the end.

Example

Nimm dir ruhig noch einen.

Feel free to take another one.

Words in this phrase

sich

[zikh]

yourself

Reflexive pronoun; with formal 'Sie' it means 'yourself'.

Example

Stellen Sie sich bitte kurz vor.

Please introduce yourself briefly.

ruhig

[ROO-ikh]

feel free, go ahead

Particle softening an invitation.

Example

Fragen Sie ruhig.

Feel free to ask.

Guides for German learners

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