sentirvssentirse
/sen-TEER/
/sen-TEER-seh/
💡 Quick Rule
Sentir + noun (what you feel). Sentirse + adjective/adverb (how you feel).
Sentir feels THINGS (like joy, cold, pain). SentirSE feels like someTHING (like happy, cold, sick).
- 'Lo siento' means 'I'm sorry' (literally 'I feel it').
- 'Sentir que...' means 'to have a feeling that...' (e.g., 'Siento que va a llover').
📊 Comparison Table
| Context | sentir | sentirse | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expressing happiness | Siento felicidad. | Me siento feliz. | Sentir takes the noun 'felicidad' (happiness). Sentirse takes the adjective 'feliz' (happy). |
| Expressing cold | Siento el frío del viento. | Me siento con frío. | Sentir for the external thing ('the cold'). Sentirse to describe your internal state ('I feel cold'). |
| Expressing sadness | Siento tristeza por la noticia. | Me siento triste por la noticia. | Use sentir with the noun 'tristeza' (sadness) and sentirse with the adjective 'triste' (sad). |
| Talking about health | Siento un dolor de cabeza. | Me siento mal. | Sentir for a specific sensation (a headache). Sentirse for a general state (feeling unwell). |
✅ When to Use "sentir" / sentirse
sentir
To feel an external thing or an emotion as a noun; to regret; to sense.
/sen-TEER/
Feeling a direct object (a noun)
Siento el calor del fuego.
I feel the heat of the fire.
Feeling an emotion (as a noun)
Siento una gran alegría por ti.
I feel great joy for you.
Expressing regret or sorrow
Lo siento mucho.
I'm very sorry.
Sensing something is about to happen
Siento que algo va a pasar.
I feel that something is going to happen.
sentirse
To feel a certain way; describing your own emotional or physical state.
/sen-TEER-seh/
Describing an emotional state (with an adjective)
Me siento feliz hoy.
I feel happy today.
Describing a physical state (with an adjective)
¿Te sientes enfermo?
Do you feel sick?
Describing your state (with an adverb)
No me siento bien.
I don't feel well.
Asking someone how they are
¿Cómo te sientes?
How do you feel?
🔄 Contrast Examples
With "sentir":
Siento amor por mi familia.
I feel love for my family. (Love is a 'thing' I feel.)
With "sentirse":
Me siento amado por mi familia.
I feel loved by my family. (Loved is my state/how I feel.)
The Difference: Sentir is used when the emotion is a noun (love, joy, sadness). Sentirse is used when you describe your state with an adjective (loved, happy, sad).
With "sentir":
Siento la lluvia en mi cara.
I feel the rain on my face. (Feeling an external object.)
With "sentirse":
Me siento mojado.
I feel wet. (Describing my own physical state.)
The Difference: Sentir is for sensing things outside of you. Sentirse describes the resulting condition inside you.
With "sentir":
Lo siento, no puedo ir.
I'm sorry, I can't go. (Expressing regret.)
With "sentirse":
Me siento mal, no puedo ir.
I feel sick, I can't go. (Describing your physical state.)
The Difference: The fixed phrase 'lo siento' always means 'I'm sorry'. 'Me siento mal' describes your personal feeling of being unwell.
🎨 Visual Comparison
Sentir is for feeling THINGS (like a kitten, the rain, joy). Sentirse is for describing HOW you feel (like happy, sick, tired).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Me siento felizidad.
Siento felicidad / Me siento feliz.
'Felicidad' is a noun, so it goes with 'sentir'. To describe how you feel, use the adjective 'feliz' with 'sentirse'.
Siento bueno.
Me siento bien.
To describe your state of well-being, you must use the reflexive 'sentirse' with an adverb like 'bien' (well) or 'mal' (badly).
Yo siento cansado.
Me siento cansado.
'Cansado' (tired) is an adjective describing how you feel, so you need the reflexive verb 'sentirse'.
📚 Related Grammar
Want to understand the grammar behind this pair? Explore these lessons for a deep dive:
🏷️ Key Words
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: Sentir vs Sentirse
Question 1 of 3
How would you say 'I feel tired'?
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'sentirse' a completely different verb from 'sentir'?
Not really. Think of 'sentirse' as a special version of 'sentir' that you use when the feeling 'reflects' back on you. That 'se' at the end is a reflexive pronoun. You use it to talk about how you, yourself, are feeling inside.
Why do you say 'Lo siento' for 'I'm sorry'?
It's a fixed phrase that literally means 'I feel it'. The 'lo' (it) refers to the bad situation or the other person's pain. Since you are feeling 'it' (a thing), you use the non-reflexive 'sentir'.
Can I use 'sentir' with adjectives?
Almost never. The golden rule is 'sentirse' + adjective (Me siento feliz) and 'sentir' + noun (Siento felicidad). While you might hear a rare poetic exception, sticking to this rule will be correct 99.9% of the time.