sentirse Preterite Conjugation
sentirse — to feel
The preterite of sentirse features a stem change (e > i) in the third-person forms: se sintió and se sintieron.
sentirse Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a sudden change in mood or a physical sensation that happened at a specific point in time, like a sudden wave of nausea or a moment of realization.
Notes on sentirse in the Preterite
Sentirse is a 'slipper verb' in the preterite. The 'e' changes to 'i' only in the third-person singular (él/ella/usted) and plural (ellos/ellas/ustedes). All other forms follow the regular -ir pattern.
Example Sentences
Me sentí muy mal después de la cena.
I felt very sick after dinner.
yo
Ella se sintió aliviada cuando terminó el examen.
She felt relieved when the exam ended.
él/ella/usted
Ellos se sintieron ofendidos por el comentario.
They felt offended by the comment.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'se sentió' instead of 'se sintió'.
Correct: se sintió
Why: This is a stem-changing -ir verb in the preterite; the e must change to i in the third person.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: me siento
Sentirse has an e > ie stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: me sentía
The imperfect of sentirse is regular: me sentía, te sentías, se sentía...
Future
yo: me sentiré
The future tense of sentirse is regular: just add the endings to the infinitive (sentirse).
Conditional
yo: me sentiría
The conditional of sentirse is regular: me sentiría, te sentirías, se sentiría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: me sienta
The present subjunctive of sentirse has stem changes: e > ie in most forms, and e > i in nosotros/vosotros.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: me sintiera
The imperfect subjunctive of sentirse uses the 'sint-' stem: me sintiera, te sintieras...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: siéntete
Use 'siéntete' (tú) or 'siéntase' (usted) to tell someone how to feel, often in a reassuring way.
Negative Imperative
yo: no te sientas
Negative commands use 'no' + the present subjunctive forms: no te sientas, no se sienta...