sentir Imperfect Conjugation
sentir — to feel
Sentir is regular in the imperfect: sentía, sentías, sentía, sentíamos, sentíais, sentían.
sentir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe ongoing feelings, moods, or physical states in the past without a specific end.
Notes on sentir in the Imperfect
Sentir is completely regular in the imperfect. It follows the standard -ía endings for -ir verbs.
Example Sentences
De niño, sentía miedo a la oscuridad.
As a child, I used to feel afraid of the dark.
yo
Sentíamos que algo no estaba bien.
We felt (had the ongoing feeling) that something wasn't right.
nosotros
Ellas siempre sentían curiosidad por viajar.
They were always curious (felt curiosity) about traveling.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: sentia
Correct: sentía
Why: All imperfect forms for -ir verbs require an accent on the 'í'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: siento
Sentir has an e > ie stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: sentí
Sentir is irregular in the third person, changing e > i: sintió and sintieron.
Future
yo: sentiré
Sentir is completely regular in the future tense: sentiré, sentirás, sentirá...
Conditional
yo: sentiría
Sentir is regular in the conditional: sentiría, sentirías, sentiría, sentiríamos, sentiríais, sentirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sienta
Sentir has a dual stem change: e > ie in most forms, and e > i in nosotros/vosotros.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sintiera
Sentir uses the stem 'sintier-' for all forms in the imperfect subjunctive.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: siente
The imperative uses 'siente' (tú) and 'sienta' (usted), following present stem changes.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sientas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no sientas, no sienta, no sintamos, no sintáis, no sientan.