sentirse

Sentirse is a Spanish reflexive verb meaning to feel, used to express one’s own emotional or physical state or subjective perception. It is a pronominal verb, requiring a reflexive pronoun that agrees with the subject, and it is typically used with adjectives or adverbial phrases rather than direct objects.

Usage and meaning: Sentirse describes how someone perceives themselves in a given moment, including emotions, moods, and general condition. Common constructions include questions like “¿Cómo te sientes?” and statements such as “Me siento cansado” or “Se siente feliz.” It can refer to internal states (bien, mal, animado, nervioso, tranquilo) and to a broader sense of well‑being or belonging (por ejemplo, “se siente parte del equipo”). While it often conveys a subjective impression, it can also express physical states, though for definite physical sensations Spanish often uses sentir or tener (for example, “siento frío” or “tengo frío”).

Conjugation basics: Sentirse shares the present tense stem change is/ie with sentirse’s forms: me siento, te sientes, se siente, nos sentimos, os sentís, se sienten. In imperfect and preterite tenses, the forms are built from the same reflexive paradigm (me sentía, te sentías, se sentía, etc.; me sentí, te sentiste, se sintió, etc.). In the present subjunctive, forms include me sienta, te sientas, se sienta, nos sintamos, os sintáis, se sientan. As a reflexive verb, all conjugations require the corresponding reflexive pronoun.

Relation to sentir: Sentirse differs from sentir in that sentir is generally transitive (to feel something, to sense) and not reflexive. Sentirse emphasizes the speaker’s internal experience and can express a range of emotional and physical conditions from happiness to discomfort.