Mastering Conjugation of “Sentir”: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses

Did you know that the verb "sentir" (to feel) is one of the most popular and meaningful in Spanish? Well, it is! It's one of the most versatile verbs out there, it can be used to express a wide range of emotions and sensations. If you're learning Spanish, it's essential to delve into the conjugation forms of "sentir" to expand your knowledge and have much more solid and fluid communication.

While it's true that the realm of feeling is extensive, don't worry! We know you want to become an expert, and that's why we're sharing with you right now this "Mastering Sentir Conjugation: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses."

Let's explore the conjugations of the verb "sentir."

"Sentir" is an indispensable verb for any Spanish student, due to the variety of situations in which it can be used. This irregular verb does not follow the traditional root, but there's no need to run away! The good news is that its irregularities are few, which will allow you to learn them easily.

Uses of the verb "sentir" in Spanish

The verb "sentir" is not limited to a single interpretation, but it can be used in various situations, such as expressing an emotion, perceiving sounds, and regret. Take a look at some of these examples to understand a little more:

• Me puedo sentir feliz porque estás conmigo.  / I can feel happy because you are with me.
• Laura siente el ruido de los animales que revolotean en el bosque. / Laura feels the noise of the animals fluttering in the forest.
• Nosotros sentimos mucho haberte lastimado ayer. / We feel very sorry for having hurt you yesterday.

One additional thing you should know before proceeding with this "Mastering Sentir Conjugation: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses" is that the verb "sentir" in Spanish is expressed in two modalities: normal sentir and reflexive sentir.

• Siento que el piso se mueve por el terremoto (sentir normal). / I feel the ground moving because of the earthquake.
• Carlos y Juan se sienten mal hoy. (sentir reflexivo o pronominal). / Carlos and Juan feel unwell today.

In the second case, the reflexive pronoun is placed before the conjugation (me, se, nos, etc.).

Conjugation of the verb "sentir" - Indicative tense

Now that you have a clear understanding of what the verb "sentir" is in Spanish and its usage, you're ready to learn how to conjugate it. Remember, this is the foundation of our "Mastering Sentir Conjugation: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses."

The verb tenses of "sentir" are quite extensive, but we'll do it in the clearest and most concise way possible, which will help you understand quickly. Let's see it right away!

Verb "sentir" in present indicative:

This form of the verb "sentir" is used when describing an action that is happening at the moment or will happen in the near future. In simple terms, we are talking about the present. The root of the word, in this case, changes to "sien."

• Yo siento.
• Tú sientes.
• Ella/Él/Usted siente.
• Nosotros sentimos.
• Vosotros sentís.
• Ellos/Ustedes sienten.

Examples with sentences

• Yo siento que José me quiere mucho. // I feel that José loves me very much.
• Nosotros sentimos que los carros avanzan muy rápido. // We feel that the cars are moving very fast.

Indicative “sentir” past tense conjugation:

In the case of the verb "sentir," the past indicative is used to refer to situations in the past, pinpointing specific events. You can go back in time and relive emotions with this conjugation!

• Yo sentí.
• Tú sentiste.
• Ella/Él/Usted sintió.
• Nosotros sentimos.
• Vosotros sentisteis.
• Ellos/Ustedes sintieron.

Examples with sentences:

• Hace años me sentí capaz de hablar español. / Years ago, I felt capable of speaking Spanish.
• Él se sintió muy feliz después de ver a su madre la semana pasada. / He felt very happy after seeing his mother last week.

Indicative "sentir" imperfect conjugation:

In this instance, the verb "sentir" is used to express past actions that used to occur. 

• Yo sentía.
• Tú sentías.
• Ella/Él/Usted sentía.
• Nosotros sentíamos.
• Vosotros sentíais.
• Ellos/Ustedes sentían.

Examples with sentences

• Yo sentía mucha paz cuando escuchaba música todos los días. / I felt a lot of peace when I listened to music every day.
• Mis padres sentían mucho miedo cuando yo me enfermaba de niño. / My parents felt a lot of fear when I got sick as a child.

 Verb "sentir" in present continuous indicative:

This form of "sentir" conjugation is one of the simplest, as it is used when we want to talk about actions that are happening right now. It is known as "present progressive."

• Yo estoy sintiendo.
• Tú estás sintiendo.
• Ella/Él/Usted está sintiendo.
• Nosotros estamos sintiendo.
• Vosotros estáis sintiendo.
• Ellos/Ustedes están sintiendo.

Examples with sentences

• Estoy sintiendo mucho frío esta mañana de invierno. /  I'm feeling very cold this winter morning.
• Laura está sintiendo como el calor del sol broncea su piel. / Laura is feeling how the sun's warmth tans her skin.

Verb "sentir" in informal future indicative:

The conjugation of "sentir" in this context is key if you want to talk about something that will happen in the very near future.

• Yo voy a sentir.
• Tú vas a sentir.
• Ella/Él/Usted va a sentir.
• Nosotros vamos a sentir.
• Vosotros vais a sentir.
• Ellos/Ustedes van a sentir.

Examples with sentences

• Yo voy a sentir mucha emoción en el concierto de mañana. / I'm going to feel a lot of excitement at tomorrow's concert.
• ¿Vas a sentir mucho frío si me prestas tu chaqueta? / Are you going to feel very cold if you lend me your jacket?

Verb "sentir" in future indicative:

In this case, we're still talking about a future possibility, but without informal connotation.

• Yo sentiré.
• Tú sentirás.
• Ella/Él/Usted sentirá.
• Nosotros sentiremos.
• Vosotros sentiréis.
• Ellos/Ustedes sentirán.

Examples with sentences

• Yo sentiré mucha nostalgia cuando te vayas. /  I will feel a lot of nostalgia when you leave.
• Ellos/Ustedes sentirán la mayor adrenalina en la montaña rusa. / They will feel the greatest adrenaline on the roller coaster.

Verb "sentir" in conditional indicative:

This type of conjugation is one of the most important in this "Mastering Sentir Conjugation: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses," as it will help you describe probable situations of the future (hypotheticals).

• Yo sentiría
• Tú sentirías.
• Ella/Él/Usted sentiría.
• Nosotros sentiríamos.
• Vosotros sentiríais.
• Ellos/Ustedes sentirían.

Examples with sentences

• Yo sentiría una gran felicidad si conociera a mi artista favorito. / I would feel great happiness if I met my favorite artist.
• Nosotros sentiríamos mucha tranquilidad si ganáramos más dinero. / We would feel a lot of tranquility if we earn more money.

Verb "sentir" in present perfect indicative:

This verb tense, in the case of "sentir," is used to refer to actions that started recently (in the past) but are still happening in the present. This is also known as the "present perfect."

• Yo (he sentido)
• Tú (has sentido).
• Ella/Él/Usted (ha sentido).
• Nosotros (hemos sentido).
• Vosotros habéis sentido).
• Ellos/Ustedes (han sentido).

Examples with sentences

• Los niños han sentido mucho calor por las altas temperaturas. / The children have felt a lot of heat due to the high temperatures.
• He sentido mucha felicidad desde que cumplí años. / I have felt a lot of happiness since my birthday.

Verb "sentir" in past perfect indicative:

This conjugation of the verb "sentir" will help you explain past events that occurred before another.

• Yo (había sentido)
• Tú (habías sentido).
• Ella/Él/Usted (había sentido).
• Nosotros (habíamos sentido).
• Vosotros (habíais sentido).
• Ellos/Ustedes(habían sentido).

Examples with sentences

• Cuando María me habló, yo había sentido mucho temor. / When María spoke to me, I had felt a lot of fear.
• Tú habías sentido mucho arrepentimiento por gritarle a tu mejor amigo. / You had felt a lot of regret for shouting at your best friend.

Verb "sentir" in future perfect indicative:

The future perfect indicative of "sentir" is useful for talking about a situation in the future that will happen after another.

• Yo (habré sentido)
• Tú (habrás sentido).
• Ella/Él/Usted (habrá sentido).
• Nosotros (habremos sentido).
• Vosotros (habréis sentido).
• Ellos/Ustedes(habrán sentido).

Examples with sentences

• Cuando te marches, me habré sentido mucho mejor. / When you leave, I will have felt much better.
• Ella habrá sentido al máximo la experiencia de escalar, cuando llegue a lo alto de la cumbre. / She will have felt the full experience of climbing when she reaches the top of the summit.

Verb "sentir" in conditional perfect indicative:

This type of conjugation of "sentir" allows us to talk about a supposed action that could have happened in the past, but did not occur as a consequence of another event.

• Yo (habría sentido)
• Tú (habrías sentido).
• Ella/Él/Usted (habría sentido).
• Nosotros (habríamos sentido).
• Vosotros (habríais sentido).
• Ellos/Ustedes(habrían sentido).

Examples with sentences

• Yo habría sentido mucho frío, pero llevé mi chaqueta. / I would have felt very cold, but I brought my jacket.
• Ellos/Ustedes habrían sentido el sonido de cerca, pero no compraron entradas en primera fila. / They would have felt the sound up close, but they didn't buy tickets in the front row.

"Sentir" in subjunctive mood:

If you've made it this far, congratulations! You're the perfect person to expand your knowledge in this "Mastering Sentir Conjugation: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses." Now, let's move on to the next level, discussing the "sentir" conjugation in the subjunctive mood.

Generally, these aren't verb tenses used too much in English, but in Spanish, they are crucial for expressing your feelings. Let's see what these conjugations are right now!

Subjunctive "sentir" present tense conjugation:

The present subjunctive will help you demonstrate a feeling of doubt or uncertainty. Be clear that it's not the same as the present indicative.

• Yo (sienta)
• Tú (sientas).
• Ella/Él/Usted (sienta).
• Nosotros (sintamos).
• Vosotros (sintáis).
• Ellos/Ustedes(sientan).

Examples with sentences

• Ojalá mañana me sienta mucho mejor de salud.  / Hopefully, I'll feel much better health-wise tomorrow
• ¿Es posible que él sienta amor por mí en algún momento?  / Is it possible that he feels love for me at some point?

"Sentir" imperfect conjugation in the subjunctive mood:

In this case, the conjugation of "sentir" in the imperfect subjunctive is essential if you need to express emotional opinions about an event that occurred in the past.

• Yo sintiera/ sintiese.
• Tú sintieras/ sintieses.
• Ella/Él/Usted sintiera/sintiese.
• Nosotros sintiéramos/sintiésemos.
• Vosotros sintierais.
• Ellos/Ustedes sintieran/ sintiesen.

Examples with sentences

• De haber lastimado a alguien por un error, ¿sintieras culpa? / "If you had hurt someone by mistake, would you feel guilt?"
• No creo que sintiera tanto dolor como el de aquel día. / I don't think I felt as much pain as that day.

Verb "sentir" in future subjunctive:

This is the next conjugation you should learn in this "Mastering Sentir Conjugation: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses." It is used to refer to probable events that may happen in the future.

• Yo sintiere
• Tú sintieres.
• Ella/Él/Usted sintiere.
• Nosotros sintiéremos.
• Vosotros sintiereis.
• Ellos/Ustedes sintieren.

Examples with sentences

• Yo sintiere mucha alegría si logro viajar a Europa.
• Ellos/Ustedes sintieren el reconocimiento de todos si ganaran el primer lugar.

Verb "sentir" in present perfect subjunctive:

This type of conjugation of the verb "sentir" is used to allude to past events that are connected with the present. Likewise, to describe an event that would happen at a key point in the future.

• Yo (haya sentido).
• Tú (hayas sentido).
• Ella/Él/Usted (haya sentido).
• Nosotros (hayamos sentido).
• Vosotros (hayáis sentido).
• Ellos/Ustedes (hayan sentido).

Example with sentences 

• Espero que hayas sentido mucha alegría con tu sorpresa de cumpleaños. / I would feel a lot of joy if I managed to travel to Europe.
• Nos alegra que hayan sentido nuestro apoyo en todo el aprendizaje de español. / They would feel the recognition of everyone if they won first place.

Verb "sentir" in past perfect subjunctive:

This form of conjugation is used to talk about events that could have hypothetically happened in the past before another event.

• Yo (hubiera sentido).
• Tú (hubieras sentido).
• Ella/Él/Usted (hubiera sentido).
• Nosotros (hubiéramos sentido).
• Vosotros (hubierais sentido).
• Ellos/Ustedes (hubieran sentido).

Example with sentences

• Si hubiera sentido la proximidad del coche, no habríamos colisionado. /  If I had felt the proximity of the car, we wouldn't have collided.
• Hubiera sentido más calor en la plaza, pero empezó a llover. / "I would have felt more heat in the square, but it started to rain.

Verb "sentir" in future perfect subjunctive:

It is used to refer to what could happen in hypothetical situations in the future.

• Yo (hubiere sentido).
• Tú (hubiere sentido).
• Ella/Él/Usted (hubiere sentido).
• Nosotros (hubiéremos sentido).
• Vosotros (hubiereis sentido).
• Ellos/Ustedes (hubieren sentido).

Example with sentences

• Yo hubiere sentido miedo si el mundo se acaba mañana. / I would have felt fear if the world were to end tomorrow
• Juan hubiere sentido el cariño de su familia antes de irse del país, pero nadie fue a despedirlo. / Juan would have felt the love of his family before leaving the country, but no one went to say goodbye to him.

Sentir: Imperative tenses

In this journey of feelings and emotions, you should know that the verb "sentir" also uses imperative conjugations. Keep reading this "Mastering Sentir Conjugation: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses" and discover what they are.

Verb "sentir" in affirmative and negative imperative:

There are two forms of conjugating the verb "sentir" in imperative: affirmative and negative. The first is used to order someone to do something based on the verb, and the second is used to tell someone not to perform an action related to the verb. Take a look at this table:

Examples with sentences

• ¡Siente amor por mí! / Feel love for me!
• No sientas que fracasamos solo porque perdimos el partido. / Don't feel like we failed just because we lost the game.

Activities to practice and learn

Now that you've learned how to conjugate the verb "sentir" in our "Mastering Sentir Conjugation: Comprehensive Guide for All Tenses," it's a good time to expand your knowledge with fun activities that will help you review everything you've studied before.

Emotions game

Sit with a group of friends and draw various emotions using emojis. Then, each person should take turns expressing an emotion using different conjugations of the verb "sentir,": “¡Me siento feliz!”, “¡Tú te sientes triste!”. 

Write a Story

Choose several verb tenses of "sentir" in Spanish and use them to write a short story, focusing solely on this verb. Using it in various sentences will help you understand better when to use each tense and correct conjugation.

Connect with Nature

Go outside and experience sensations, sounds, and nature's touch. You can do this in a park to enhance the activity. In each situation you encounter, use the verb "sentir." For example: “puedo sentir la brisa en mi piel”, “me siento feliz al salir al aire libre”.

Test your knowledge of sentir verb conjugations!

Are you ready to put everything you've learned about the conjugation of "sentir" to the test? Try this quick quiz (answers are at the end of the article):

1. What is the correct indicative "sentir" present tense conjugation form for the following sentence: "Yo _____ mucha alegría cuando veo a mis amigos"?

2. Sentí
3. Siento
4. Sentiré

2.  What is the correct indicative "sentir" preterite conjugation form to complete the sentence: "Ayer, nosotros _____ mucho miedo cuando se nos perdió nuestra mascota"?

1. Sentíamos
2. Sentimos
3. Sentiríamos 

3. What is the correct subjunctive "sentir" preterite conjugation form  in the following sentence: "Ojalá el fin de semana _____ menos dolor de muelas que hoy"?

1. Sienta
2. Sintiere
3. Sentiré

Extra question: 

Which of the following sentences corresponds to the conjugation of the verb "sentir" in the affirmative imperative?

1. Carlos se siente mal.
2. Nosotros sentimos que hemos aprendido.
3. Siente cada experiencia de la vida al máximo.

Congratulations!

With these activities and the little quiz we presented in our Master Sentir Conjugation: Complete Guide for All Tenses, you'll become an expert at conjugating the verb "sentir". Every day is a new opportunity to keep learning!

P.S.: You can check the quiz answers at the end of this article.

Sentir Conjugation - Conclusion

This marks the end of our journey through feelings in this Master Sentir Conjugation: Complete Guide for All Tenses. Each of the resources we provided earlier is truly simple, allowing you to expand your knowledge and communicate fluently in Spanish.

Even if you might think Spanish is impossible for you, it's not true! Feeling that you're capable of achieving it is the first step. Do you see how easy it is to use a verb naturally? So don't limit yourself and keep learning with us.

In addition to this, remember there are thousands of ways to learn a new language, such as reading, creative activities, group work, and more. A good learning idea is to get to know the stories of important Spanish-speaking figures, so we recommend our article Notable Hispanic Biographies for Spanish class.

Similarly, if you want to further enhance your language skills, you can check out our articles section specially prepared for you. 

Respuestas: pregunta 1: b) siento, pregunta 2: b) sentimos, pregunta 3: a) sienta, pregunta extra: c) siente cada experiencia de la vida al máximo