Signification
Sitting down in a chair.
Contexte culturel
Yielding your seat ('уступить место') to the elderly or pregnant women is a strict social norm. If you don't do it, strangers might loudly criticize you. The concept of 'занимать очередь' (taking a place in line) is vital. You don't have to stand in line; you just need to know who is in front of you. Before a long journey, Russians often 'присядут на дорожку' (sit down for the road). This is a short moment of silence where everyone 'занимает место' and sits quietly for a minute to ensure good luck. In Russian schools, students often have a 'закреплённое место' (fixed seat) for the whole year. Changing it without the teacher's permission is often not allowed.
The 'Is it taken?' rule
Always use the short adjective 'занято' to ask if a seat is taken: 'Здесь занято?'
Don't say 'Брать'
English speakers often say 'Я беру место', which sounds like you are physically picking up the chair and carrying it away!
Signification
Sitting down in a chair.
The 'Is it taken?' rule
Always use the short adjective 'занято' to ask if a seat is taken: 'Здесь занято?'
Don't say 'Брать'
English speakers often say 'Я беру место', which sounds like you are physically picking up the chair and carrying it away!
Competition Context
When talking about sports, always use 'занять' + ordinal number (первое, второе...).
Politeness
Use 'присаживайтесь' instead of 'садитесь' to sound extra polite when offering a seat to a guest.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'занять' (Perfective).
Вчера на соревнованиях наш сын ___ первое место!
We need the past tense, masculine singular form of the perfective verb because the son (masculine) finished the action.
Which sentence is correct for asking if a seat is free?
Как правильно спросить?
'Это место занято?' is the standard way to ask 'Is this seat taken?'.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: You want your friend to save you a seat at the university.
The imperative 'займи' is used to ask someone to do something for you.
Complete the dialogue in the bus.
— Извините, здесь свободно? — Нет, извините, я уже ___ это место для друга.
The speaker is explaining that the action of 'taking' the seat for the friend is already done.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Занять vs. Сесть
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesВчера на соревнованиях наш сын ___ первое место!
We need the past tense, masculine singular form of the perfective verb because the son (masculine) finished the action.
Как правильно спросить?
'Это место занято?' is the standard way to ask 'Is this seat taken?'.
Situation: You want your friend to save you a seat at the university.
The imperative 'займи' is used to ask someone to do something for you.
— Извините, здесь свободно? — Нет, извините, я уже ___ это место для друга.
The speaker is explaining that the action of 'taking' the seat for the friend is already done.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsYes! 'Занять денег' means to borrow money. Context is everything.
'Сесть' is the physical act of sitting. 'Занять место' is the act of claiming or occupying a spot.
Use 'Займи мне место' (Save a seat for me).
Use singular for one seat, plural for multiple seats.
Yes! 'Занять парковочное место' is very common.
It is neutral. It's appropriate for both friends and bosses.
It means 'Occupied' or 'In use'.
Я занял первое место.
Yes, like a table taking up space in a room.
'Освободить место' (to vacate a seat).
It's slang. Use it with friends, but not with your teacher.
There is an old superstition that 'садитесь' sounds like 'going to prison', so 'присаживайтесь' is preferred.
Expressions liées
Уступить место
contrastTo give up one's seat for someone else.
Мест нет
similarNo seats available / Full house.
Забронировать место
specialized formTo reserve a seat in advance.
Присесть
synonymTo sit down (politely/briefly).
Занять очередь
builds onTo take a spot in a queue.
