Sentirme

Sentirme is the reflexive infinitive form of the Spanish verb sentirse, used to express my own physical or emotional state. It conveys an internal sense of how one feels, rather than an external sensation. The non-reflexive verb sentir means to feel something physically or emotionally that is not tied to the subject’s own state; sentirse emphasizes the subject’s inner experience.

Usage and construction: Sentirme is used with other verbs in periphrastic constructions or within clauses that describe one’s state. Examples include: Quiero sentirme bien (I want to feel well), Necesito sentirme más seguro (I need to feel more secure), Espero sentirme mejor mañana (I hope to feel better tomorrow). The clitic me attaches to the infinitive, yielding sentirme. It can also appear in contexts where a conjugated form of sentir is combined with the reflexive pronoun, such as Me siento bien for present identity of feeling, or Me sentí mal for a past feeling.

Conjugation notes: The related verb sentirse is fully conjugated across tenses (me siento, te sientes, se siente, nos sentimos, os sentís, se sienten; imperfect: me sentía, te sentías, etc.). In many everyday senses, speakers frequently use the simple present indicative me siento to express current feelings, whereas sentirme appears in infinitive clauses after verbs of desire, intention, or possibility.

Relation and scope: Sentirme contrasts with sentir in that the reflexive form centers on the subject’s own experience. It coexists with related nouns such as sentimiento (feeling) and adjectives describing states, e.g., sentirse cómodo, sentirse feliz. Etymology traces to Latin sentire; sensorial and emotional meanings extend into related terms like sentimiento and sentimental.