Use of the word sat vs sitting

Question

Please help resolve a dispute between my partner and me.

The other day, I sent my partner a text explains that 'I would rather be sat in the pub drinking a beer' to which I was corrected that I should have used 'sitting' instead of 'sat'. I'm pretty sure both are proper English but she disagrees and says using 'sat' is lazy. Help!

"Be sat" is correct if you are one year old and were plunked down in a high chair. — Stephie, Sep 20 '15 at 09:16
They mean different things (and more trickily, the word be means different things in these contexts) but I can't understand how one would be 'lazy'! — curiousdannii, Sep 20 '15 at 11:20
Where are you from? In parts of north England, for example, people do use the expression was sat instead of was sitting. "I'd rather sat" and "I'd rather be sat" is perhaps considered dialectal. This is only comment because I do not know enough to write a full answer, so bear that in mind. — Mari-Lou A, Sep 20 '15 at 12:32
It's'between my partner and me,' although I know that isn't what you were asking. ;) — MathAdam, Sep 21 '15 at 05:06
related: 1. Is “I am sat” bad English? 2. I was sat thinking why you were stood there... — Mari-Lou A, Sep 21 '15 at 06:03
Also: 3. Using “I had rather” instead of “I would rather” 4. Imperative followed by “rather than”? — Mari-Lou A, Sep 21 '15 at 06:13
possible duplicate of Is 'I would rather...' without an infinitive immediately following it correct? — Mari-Lou A, Sep 21 '15 at 06:17
Perhaps you are looking for "I would rather be seated in the pub ..." — Hot Licks, Oct 24 '15 at 18:53
Whether this is considered correct or incorrect depends at least partially on one's views on the acceptability of dialect. — Edwin Ashworth, Jun 02 '21 at 16:40

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 21 '15 at 05:08

1

'Be sitting' probably matches your intention. 'Be sat,' although awkward, could imply someone physically forced you to sit there.

answered Sep 21 '15 at 05:08

MathAdam

823

Hmm, but what other ways can the active voice be removed from the sentence "I would rather be sitting in the pub drinking a beer"? – Pacerier Sep 21 '15 at 05:41
Or that is where the maitre d told you to sit. – Hot Licks Dec 05 '20 at 21:12

Use of the word sat vs sitting

1 Answers1