sentite

Sentite is the second-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb sentire, meaning you hear or you feel. It is also the second-person plural imperative form, used to tell a group to listen or pay attention, as in Listen! The present indicative conjugation of sentire is: io sento, tu senti, lui/lei sente, noi sentiamo, voi sentite, loro sentono.

Etymology and meaning: Sentire comes from Latin sentirē, meaning to feel or perceive. It is cognate with many Romance and English words related to perception, such as sense. In Italian, sentire covers both physical perception (to hear) and more general perception or feeling (to sense, to feel emotionally).

Usage notes: When referring to hearing or sensing by the sense of hearing, sentire is commonly used, though ascoltare is preferred for active listening. Examples: Vi sentite chiari i rumori? or Ci sentiamo dalla distanza? For questions about physical or emotional state, sentire can pair with adjectives or nouns: come vi sentite? (How do you feel?) The imperative form sentite is a command to a group to listen: Sentite attentamente.

Past participle and compound tenses: The past participle of sentire is sentito, used with avere in the passato prossimo, as in Ho sentito un rumore (I heard a noise). The participle agrees in gender and number when used with essere in passive or certain adjectival constructions, e.g., una nota sentita (a heard note) though comune usage mostly sticks with avere.

See also: The verb sentire contrasts with ascoltare for listening and with sentire in senses of perception, and it is closely related to other Romance verbs meaning to feel or sense.