stoen / sëtzen / leien
Standing, Sitting, Lying: Stoen, Sëtzen, Leien
Where is it? D'Buch läit um Dësch. Where are you putting it? Ech leeën d'Buch op den Dësch. Each position has two verbs: one for being there and one for putting there.
How It Works
1. Three pairs
- Upright: stoen (to stand, be standing) – stellen (to stand something up, put)
- Sitting: sëtzen (to sit, be sitting) – setzen (to put, set; sech setzen = to sit down)
- Flat: leien (to lie, be lying) – leeën (to lay, put down flat)
Things use the same verbs. A bottle or a car steet, a book or keys leien, and a village läit somewhere.
2. Being there: dative
The verbs of position answer wou? (where?), so a two-way preposition takes the dative: D'Buch läit um Dësch. D'Fläsch steet am Frigo. See Two-Way Prepositions.
3. Putting there: accusative
The verbs of putting answer wuer? (where to?), so the preposition takes the accusative: Ech leeën d'Buch op den Dësch. Stell d'Fläsch an de Frigo!
4. Present tense forms
Watch the vowel changes: ech stinn, du stees, hie steet; ech sëtzen, du sëtz, hie sëtzt; ech leien, du läis, hie läit. The putting verbs: hie stellt, hie setzt, hie leet.
5. The perfect: always hunn
All six verbs take hunn: Ech hunn do gestanen. Mir hunn um Balcon gesiess. D'Buch huet um Dësch geleeën. Ech hunn d'Buch op den Dësch geluecht. Hien huet d'Fläsch an de Frigo gestallt. Si huet sech gesat. See Perfect Tense With Hunn and Irregular Past Participles.
6. Sëtzen or setzen?
The spelling matters: sëtzen with ë means to be sitting, setzen with e means to put. To sit down is sech setzen: Setz dech! See Reflexive Verbs With Sech.
Examples (6)
- D'Buch läit um Dësch.
The book is on the table.
Position: leien with the dative um (op + dem).
- Ech leeën d'Buch op den Dësch.
I put the book on the table.
Movement: leeën with the accusative op den.
- D'Fläsch steet am Frigo.
The bottle is in the fridge.
A bottle stands upright, so Luxembourgish uses stoen.
- Stell d'Fläsch an de Frigo!
Put the bottle in the fridge!
Stellen takes the accusative: an de Frigo.
- Mir hunn de ganzen Owend um Balcon gesiess.
We sat on the balcony all evening.
Sëtzen takes hunn in the perfect. Its participle is gesiess.
- Setz dech op de Stull!
Sit down on the chair!
To sit down is sech setzen, with e, not ë.
Common Mistakes
Using the accusative for a position.
D'Buch läit op den Dësch.D'Buch läit um Dësch.Leien describes where something is, so the two-way preposition takes the dative: op dem, shortened to um.
Using sinn in the perfect.
Ech sinn do gesiess.Ech hunn do gesiess.Stoen, sëtzen and leien all take hunn in the perfect.
Using sëtzen for sitting down.
Ech sëtze mech op de Stull.Ech setze mech op de Stull.Sëtzen means to be sitting. The movement of sitting down is sech setzen, spelled with e.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Standing, Sitting, Lying: Stoen, Sëtzen, Leien, learn Two-Way Prepositions and Irregular Past Participles.
Related Patterns
- am / um / vum / mam / beimPreposition and Article Contractions
Um and am are the contractions used with the verbs of position.
Level 2 - Perfect-Tense Auxiliary: hunnPerfect Tense with Hunn
All six verbs form the perfect with hunn.
Level 2 - Reflexive Verbs With sech
Sech setzen (to sit down) is reflexive.
Level 2 - Vowel Changes in Forms With du and hienVowel Changes in the Du and Hien Forms
Leien and stoen change their vowel: hie läit, hie steet.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice stoen / sëtzen / leien in Bubblegum
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