What does this mean : They sat on the sofa.

[XomosX]

They are sitting on the sofa. (they are doing it right now)


They were sitting on the sofa.
(they were doing it at some point in the past, they may still be sitting on that sofa right now; it is impossible to determine the current situation base on this example)


They sat on the sofa. (they are not doing it any more!, they are for instance standing, but not sitting).

Is my understanding correct? I am especially interested in the last example?

 

[Rover_KE]

Welcome to the forum, XomosX.

'They sat on the sofa' describes their actual movement from a standing position to a seated one.

 

[emsr2d2]

It could also be used to describe a seated position while something else happened.

He sat on the sofa throughout the long film.
She sat on the sofa while the cat wrecked the kitchen.

 

[Rover_KE]

It's not easy for me to reconcile that with what you wrote here.

 

[tzfujimino]

The only post I can trust in that thread is ems's, Rover.

 

[Matthew Wai]

www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/sit Definition#1.
If the above definition is correct, I think 'sit' can refer to 'a seated position', but I am not a teacher.

 

[bhaisahab]

Matthew, "sit" is a verb it cannot refer to a position, only to an action.

 

[bhaisahab]

He sat on the sofa throughout the long film.
She sat on the sofa while the cat wrecked the kitchen.

Both of those sentences seem odd to me, ems.

 

[emsr2d2]

I can tell that these sentences sound odd to other native speakers and I'm surprised by that. For me "I sat on the sofa throughout the film" and "I sat [down] on the sofa before the film started" give two different impressions. The first describes the long-term seated position and the second the action of placing one's posterior on the cushions before settling in for the duration of the film.

A: What did you do last night?
B: Oh, I was SO lazy! I just sat on the sofa all evening and watched TV.

What you would you say instead of "I sat on the sofa" in the above dialogue?

 

[Matthew Wai]

Matthew, "sit" is a verb it cannot refer to a position, only to an action.

I found two dictionaries which say 'sit' means 'to be in a position in which the lower part of your body ...'. Does it refer to a seated position?

 

[Matthew Wai]

'to be in a position in which the lower part of your body rests on a seat or on the ground, while the upper part of your body is upright'── quoted from http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/sit
'to (cause someone to) be in a position in which the lower part of the body is resting on a seat or other type of support, with the upper part of the body vertical'── quoted from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-chinese-traditional/sit_1
'to be on a chair or seat, or on the ground, with the top half of your body upright and your weight resting on your buttocks'── quoted from http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/sit

Having read the above definitions, I think 'sat' refers to a seated position below, but I am not a teacher.
'We sat talking for hours.'── quoted from http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/sit?q=sit

 

[tzfujimino]

Ems: Can you hear the baby crying?
Tz: Yeah.
Ems: Don't just sit there! Do something!

In the context above, Tz is sitting on the sofa and doing nothing.:lol:

I'm sorry if it's irrelevant to the topic.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think 'They sat on the sofa for an hour' can only refer to a seated position, but I am not a teacher.

You don't have to be a teacher to recognise the obvious.

Please forgive me for having got into the habit of saying 'I am not a teacher'.

 

[emsr2d2]

Tz, your suggested dialogue is entirely relevant to the topic (despite being entirely irrelevant to me, who has never been and would never willingly be in a room with a crying baby!)

I remain surprised that two other native speakers weren't comfortable with that use of "sit/sat".

 

[Matthew Wai]

They were sitting on the sofa.
(they were doing it at some point in the past, they may still be sitting on that sofa right now

I think they could not still be sitting right now because it should be 'They have been sitting on the sofa' if they still are, but I am not a teacher.