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'Sitting down' vs. 'being seated': posture verbs in Italian

In English, sit, stand and lie each do two jobs. I sit can mean the movement of sitting down or the state of being in a chair. Italian keeps these two jobs apart. The movement is a reflexive verb: sedersi, alzarsi, sdraiarsi. The position you end up in is usually described with essere plus a past participle or a fixed phrase: essere seduto, essere sdraiato, essere in piedi.

English speakers trip over this in two ways. They say mi siedo when they mean they are already sitting, or they reach for an -ing form like sto sedendo, which sounds odd for a simple position.

Word list
alzarsiA2 to stand up mi alzo = I get up alzarsi in piediA2 to stand up si alzano in piedi = they stand up essere in piediA2 to stand sono in piedi = I'm standing essere sedutoA2 to sit sono seduta = I'm sitting sedersiA2 to sit down mi siedo = I sit down stare in piediA2 to stand sto in piedi = I stay standing essere distesomB1 to lie era distesa sull'erba = she was lying on the grass essere sdraiatomB1 to lie è sdraiato sul divano = he's lying on the sofa sdraiarsiB1 to lie down mi sdraio = I lie down inginocchiarsiB2 to kneel down si inginocchia = he kneels down stendersiB2 to lie down mi stendo = I lie down
How it works

Ask yourself: is the body moving into a position, or is it already there?

  • Movement: reflexive verb. Mi siedo = I sit down. Mi alzo = I get up.
  • State: essere + participle (or in piedi). Sono seduto = I'm sitting. Sono in piedi = I'm standing.

The tricky part is the past tense. Reflexive verbs form the passato prossimo with essere, so mi sono seduto (I sat down) and sono seduto (I am sitting) look almost the same. The small pronoun mi makes all the difference: with it you describe an event in the past, without it you describe where you are now.

Mi sono seduto qui un'ora fa e sono ancora seduto.
(I sat down here an hour ago and I'm still sitting.)
Sono seduta vicino alla finestra.
(I'm sitting by the window.)

The participle agrees with the subject like an adjective: seduto, seduta, seduti, sedute.

The words
Sitting

Sedersi is the movement, essere seduto the position.

Mi siedo sulla sedia.
(I sit down on the chair.)
Siamo seduti in terza fila.
(We're sitting in the third row.)
Standing

Alzarsi means to get up, from a chair or from bed. Alzarsi in piedi makes it clear that you end up on your feet. For the position, Italian has no participle here. It uses the phrase in piedi: essere in piedi or stare in piedi.

Mi alzo alle sette tutte le mattine.
(I get up at seven every morning.)
Quando entra la professoressa, tutti si alzano in piedi.
(When the teacher comes in, everyone stands up.)
Sono in piedi da stamattina.
(I've been on my feet since this morning.)
In autobus sto sempre in piedi.
(On the bus I always stand.)
Lying

Sdraiarsi and stendersi both mean to lie down. The positions are essere sdraiato and essere disteso.

Si è sdraiato sul letto.
(He lay down on the bed.)
Mi stendo un attimo sul divano.
(I'm going to lie down on the sofa for a moment.)
Il gatto è sdraiato al sole.
(The cat is lying in the sun.)
Era distesa sull'erba a leggere.
(She was lying on the grass, reading.)
Kneeling

Inginocchiarsi is the movement. The position follows the same pattern: essere inginocchiato.

Si inginocchia per allacciare le scarpe al bambino.
(She kneels down to tie the child's shoes.)
Watch out
  • Don't use the -ing form for a position. Sto sedendo or sto sdraiando would describe the movement in progress, and even then it sounds strange. For I'm sitting, say sono seduto.
  • Essere or stare? Essere in piedi simply states the position. Stare in piedi (and likewise stare seduto) suggests staying in that position, often for a while or on purpose.
  • Formal alternatives. You may meet sedere (to sit, without si) and giacere (to lie) in written or formal Italian. In everyday speech, stick with essere seduto and essere sdraiato.
  • Similar pairs outside this list: appoggiarsi / essere appoggiato (lean / be leaning), chinarsi (bend down), accovacciarsi (crouch down).
Summary

Moving into a position? Use the reflexive verb: mi siedo, mi alzo, mi sdraio. Already in position? Use essere with the participle or in piedi: sono seduto, sono sdraiato, sono in piedi. In the past tense, the mi tells you it was a movement: mi sono seduto means I sat down, while sono seduto means I'm sitting.