🙏🪑

How to Say ‘Please have a seat.’ in German

Bitte setzen Sie sich.

BIT-teh ZET-sen zee zikh

[BIT-teh ZET-sen zee zikh]

🇩🇪 In Germany: In an office, wait for this invitation before sitting down. Taking a seat unasked can seem a bit forward.

Phrase Breakdown

Bitte

[BIT-teh]

please

Polite word used for requests or instructions.

Example

Bitte kommt pünktlich zum Set.

Please come to the set on time.

setzen Sie sich.

ZET-sen zee zikh

sit down (formal)

This is the formal imperative of 'sich setzen'. The 's' before a vowel sounds like 'z', and 'tz' sounds like 'ts'.

Example

Setzen Sie sich, bitte.

Sit down, please.

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

The formal 'you' used in polite professional conversations.

Example

Ich freue mich, Sie hier auf der Jobmesse zu sehen.

I am pleased to see you here at the job fair.

sich

[zikh]

yourself

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

Example

Stellen Sie sich bitte kurz vor.

Please introduce yourself briefly.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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