Zu Sitzen

1. (intransitive) to sit; to perch auxiliary *[haben* or sein]
2. (intransitive) to stay (in one place); to remain; to be (in a particular place or state) auxiliary *[haben* or sein]
3. (intransitive, of clothing) to fit auxiliary *[haben* or sein]
4. (intransitive, regional, in certain constructions) to be (e.g. with voller)
5. (intransitive, colloquial) to do time; to spend time in jail auxiliary *[haben*]
6. (intransitive, colloquial, of a strike, a comment, etc.) to hit home; to have a significant effect auxiliary *[haben*]
7. (intransitive, Switzerland) to sit down

Usage notes

The most frequent auxiliary with sitzen is haben: Ich habe gesessen. In northern and central Germany, only this form is used. In southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, sein is common in the vernacular and also, alternatively, in standard usage: Ich bin gesessen. However, for some meanings like 5 and 6, haben is used everywhere. This can lead to misunderstandings.