Sentiría

Sentiría is the simple conditional form of the Spanish verb sentir. It corresponds to the first person singular yo sentiría and the third person singular él/ella/Ud sentiría, but its meaning changes with the implied subject. The conditional mood is used to express what would happen under certain conditions, to make polite or tentative statements, or to convey hypothetical ideas in the present or future.

In practice, sentiría is used to talk about hypothetical feelings or sensations, as well as to soften statements or requests. It often appears in si-clauses or in contexts where the outcome depends on another condition. For example: “Si lloviera, sentiría frío,” or “Yo sentiría alivio al saber que todo está bien.” It can also function with reflexive sentir: “Me sentiría mejor si descansara.”

Common variations include: sentirías, sentiría, sentiríamos, sentiríais, sentirían. A common related form is sentirse, the reflexive version meaning to feel oneself or to feel emotionally, where the conditional becomes me sentiría, te sentirías, se sentiría, etc. For instance: “Me sentiría mejor si descansara.”

Etymology traces sentir back to the Latin sentire, meaning to feel or perceive, a lineage shared with related words in Romance languages. In English, sentiría translates mainly as “I would feel” or “you would feel,” depending on the subject. The form is distinct from the imperfect subjunctive sintiera/sentiera and from the future tense sentiré, each with its own nuance.