Sentir Conjugation | How to Conjugate Sentir in Spanish

Sentir means “to feel” or “to sense.” You will learn its e → ie and e → i stem changes, the irregular gerund sintiendo, and how those patterns extend into the preterite, subjunctive, and commands.

Sentir conjugation at a glance

Sentir means “to feel / to sense.” Verb type: Irregular. The key linguistic pattern is explained below so the project label does not hide how the verb actually behaves.

• sentir — to feel / to sense
• sintiendo — feeling
• sentido — felt

Sentir gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund helps build progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — the perfect auxiliary — in compound forms. With haber, the participle does not change for gender or number.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	sentir	to feel / to sense
Gerund	sintiendo	feeling
Past participle	sentido	felt
Compound infinitive	haber sentido	to have felt
Compound gerund	habiendo sentido	having felt

Sentir meaning and essential uses

The primary meaning here is “to feel / to sense.” These examples show the central uses needed to interpret the conjugated forms in this lesson.

• Siento frío esta mañana. — I feel cold this morning.
• Sentimos un ruido detrás de la puerta. — We sense a noise behind the door.
• Siento mucho lo ocurrido. — I am very sorry about what happened.

Sentir conjugation pattern

Sentir has two related stem alternations. Stressed present-family forms use e → ie, as in siento — I feel and sienta — that I / he / she / you (formal) feel. Several -IR forms use e → i, including sintió — he / she / you (formal) felt, sintieron — they / you (plural) felt, sintiendo — feeling, and sintamos — that we feel.

Sentir indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Sentir present tense conjugation

Use the present indicative for current situations, routines, repeated actions, and general facts involving this verb. The Spanish label is el presente de indicativo — present indicative.

Use e → ie in stressed forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep e: siento — I feel, sientes — you feel, sentimos — we feel, and sentís — you (plural, informal) feel.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	siento	I feel
Tú — you, singular informal	sientes	you feel
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	siente	he / she feels; you feel (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentimos	we feel
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentís	you (plural, informal) feel
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sienten	they / you (plural) feel

• Siento mucho frío hoy. — I feel very cold today.

Sentir preterite conjugation

Use the preterite for completed or bounded past events, viewed as finished rather than background or habit. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido — preterite.

Most forms use the regular -IR preterite endings, but third-person singular and plural use e → i: sintió — he / she / you (formal) felt and sintieron — they / you (plural) felt.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentí	I felt
Tú — you, singular informal	sentiste	you felt
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sintió	he / she felt; you felt (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentimos	we felt
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentisteis	you (plural, informal) felt
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sintieron	they / you (plural) felt

• Ayer sentí una fuerte emoción. — Yesterday I felt a strong emotion.

Sentir imperfect conjugation

Use the imperfect for habitual, repeated, descriptive, or ongoing past situations without a completed boundary. The Spanish label is el pretérito imperfecto — imperfect.

Use the standard imperfect endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentía	I used to feel
Tú — you, singular informal	sentías	you used to feel
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentía	he / she used to feel; you used to feel (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentíamos	we used to feel
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentíais	you (plural, informal) used to feel
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentían	they / you (plural) used to feel

• De niño, sentía miedo en la oscuridad. — As a child, I used to feel afraid in the dark.

Sentir present progressive

Use the present progressive for an action in progress around the present moment. This is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish label is la perífrasis estar + gerundio — present progressive periphrasis.

Build the present progressive with estar — to be as an auxiliary — plus sintiendo — feeling.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy sintiendo	I am feeling
Tú — you, singular informal	estás sintiendo	you are feeling
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está sintiendo	he / she is feeling; you are feeling (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos sintiendo	we are feeling
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis sintiendo	you (plural, informal) are feeling
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están sintiendo	they / you (plural) are feeling

• Estoy sintiendo una ligera presión. — I am feeling a slight pressure.

Sentir near future conjugation

Use the near future for plans or events viewed as approaching or already intended. This is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish label is la perífrasis ir a + infinitivo — near-future periphrasis.

Build the near future with ir a — to be going to — plus sentir — feel.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a sentir	I am going to feel
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a sentir	you are going to feel
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a sentir	he / she is going to feel; you are going to feel (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a sentir	we are going to feel
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a sentir	you (plural, informal) are going to feel
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a sentir	they / you (plural) are going to feel

• Voy a sentir alivio cuando termine. — I am going to feel relief when it ends.

Sentir future tense conjugation

Use the simple future for future events and, where context supports it, probability or conjecture. The Spanish label is el futuro simple — simple future.

Add the future endings directly to sentir — feel.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentiré	I will feel
Tú — you, singular informal	sentirás	you will feel
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentirá	he / she will feel; you will feel (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentiremos	we will feel
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentiréis	you (plural, informal) will feel
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentirán	they / you (plural) will feel

• Sentirás una pequeña vibración. — You will feel a slight vibration.

Sentir conditional conjugation

Use the conditional for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or future-in-the-past meanings. The Spanish label is el condicional simple — conditional.

Add the conditional endings directly to sentir — feel.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sentiría	I would feel
Tú — you, singular informal	sentirías	you would feel
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sentiría	he / she would feel; you would feel (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sentiríamos	we would feel
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentiríais	you (plural, informal) would feel
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sentirían	they / you (plural) would feel

• Sentiría más confianza con práctica. — I would feel more confident with practice.

Sentir present perfect conjugation

Use the present perfect for past actions connected to the present. Its distribution varies across Spanish-speaking regions. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto compuesto — present perfect.

Combine the present forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentido — felt.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he sentido	I have felt
Tú — you, singular informal	has sentido	you have felt
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha sentido	he / she has felt; you have felt (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos sentido	we have felt
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis sentido	you (plural, informal) have felt
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han sentido	they / you (plural) have felt

• He sentido ese olor antes. — I have smelled that odor before.

Sentir past perfect conjugation

Use the past perfect for an action completed before another past reference point. The Spanish label is el pretérito pluscuamperfecto — past perfect / pluperfect.

Combine the imperfect forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentido — felt.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había sentido	I had felt
Tú — you, singular informal	habías sentido	you had felt
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había sentido	he / she had felt; you had felt (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos sentido	we had felt
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais sentido	you (plural, informal) had felt
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían sentido	they / you (plural) had felt

• Ya había sentido ese dolor otra vez. — I had already felt that pain before.

Sentir future perfect conjugation

Use the future perfect for an action expected to be completed before a future reference point. The Spanish label is el futuro compuesto — future perfect.

Combine the future forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentido — felt.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré sentido	I will have felt
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás sentido	you will have felt
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá sentido	he / she will have felt; you will have felt (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos sentido	we will have felt
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis sentido	you (plural, informal) will have felt
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán sentido	they / you (plural) will have felt

• Para entonces, habrás sentido el efecto completo. — By then, you will have felt the full effect.

Sentir conditional perfect conjugation

Use the conditional perfect for a hypothetical past result or an outcome that would have occurred under different circumstances. The Spanish label is el condicional compuesto — conditional perfect.

Combine the conditional forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentido — felt.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría sentido	I would have felt
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías sentido	you would have felt
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría sentido	he / she would have felt; you would have felt (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos sentido	we would have felt
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais sentido	you (plural, informal) would have felt
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían sentido	they / you (plural) would have felt

• Habríamos sentido más frío sin abrigo. — We would have felt colder without a coat.

Sentir subjunctive conjugations

Sentir present subjunctive conjugation

Use the present subjunctive in subordinate clauses triggered by wishes, influence, emotion, evaluation, doubt, necessity, possibility, or similar environments. The Spanish label is el presente de subjuntivo — present subjunctive.

Use e → ie in the stressed present-subjunctive forms and e → i in nosotros and vosotros: sienta — that I / he / she / you (formal) feel, sintamos — that we feel, and sintáis — that you (plural, informal) feel.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sienta	that I feel
Tú — you, singular informal	sientas	that you feel
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sienta	that he / she feel; that you feel (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sintamos	that we feel
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sintáis	that you (plural, informal) feel
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sientan	that they / you (plural) feel

• Dudo que sientas dolor ahora. — I doubt that you feel pain now.

Sentir imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the imperfect subjunctive in past or hypothetical subordinate contexts, including reported wishes, requests, evaluations, and conditions. The Spanish label is el imperfecto de subjuntivo — imperfect subjunctive.

The main table uses the accepted -ra series, built from the third-person plural preterite stem. The accepted -se series is shown after the main examples.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sintiera	that I felt / were to feel
Tú — you, singular informal	sintieras	that you felt / were to feel
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sintiera	that he / she felt / were to feel; that you felt / were to feel (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sintiéramos	that we felt / were to feel
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sintierais	that you (plural, informal) felt / were to feel
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sintieran	that they / you (plural) felt / were to feel

• No esperaba que sintieras tanta presión. — I did not expect you to feel so much pressure.

The accepted -se series is also standard in many contexts; it should not be substituted mechanically where a construction has a documented preference or restriction.

• sintiese — that I felt / were to feel
• sintieses — that you felt / were to feel
• sintiese — that he / she / you (formal) felt / were to feel
• sintiésemos — that we felt / were to feel
• sintieseis — that you (plural, informal) felt / were to feel
• sintiesen — that they / you (plural) felt / were to feel

Sentir future subjunctive conjugation

Use the future subjunctive only as a reference form for rare modern uses, especially formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical language. The Spanish label is el futuro de subjuntivo — future subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

This reference paradigm comes from the same past-stem family used by the imperfect subjunctive. It is rare in modern everyday Spanish and survives mainly in formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical contexts.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sintiere	that I should feel (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	sintieres	that you should feel (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sintiere	that he / she should feel (rare/formal); that you should feel (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sintiéremos	that we should feel (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sintiereis	that you (plural, informal) should feel (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sintieren	that they / you (plural) should feel (rare/formal)

• Si el trabajador sintiere dolor, deberá detenerse. — If the worker should feel pain, they must stop.

Sentir present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the present perfect subjunctive for a completed action viewed through a present subjunctive trigger. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo — present perfect subjunctive.

Combine the present subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentido — felt.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya sentido	that I have felt
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas sentido	that you have felt
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya sentido	that he / she has felt; that you have felt (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos sentido	that we have felt
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis sentido	that you (plural, informal) have felt
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan sentido	that they / you (plural) have felt

• Lamento que hayas sentido miedo. — I am sorry that you have felt afraid.

Sentir past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the past perfect subjunctive for an action completed before another past or hypothetical reference point in a subjunctive context. The Spanish label is el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo — past perfect subjunctive.

Combine the -ra imperfect subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentido — felt. The hubiese series is also accepted and is shown below.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera sentido	that I had felt
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras sentido	that you had felt
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera sentido	that he / she had felt; that you had felt (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos sentido	that we had felt
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais sentido	that you (plural, informal) had felt
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran sentido	that they / you (plural) had felt

• Ojalá no hubiera sentido tanto dolor. — I wish I had not felt so much pain.

The hubiese series is an accepted alternative in many contexts.

• hubiese sentido — that I had felt
• hubieses sentido — that you had felt
• hubiese sentido — that he / she / you (formal) had felt
• hubiésemos sentido — that we had felt
• hubieseis sentido — that you (plural, informal) had felt
• hubiesen sentido — that they / you (plural) had felt

Sentir future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the future perfect subjunctive as a rare reference form for an action completed before another future point in formal or historical-style contexts. The Spanish label is el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo — future perfect subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

Combine the future subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sentido — felt. This system is rare in modern everyday Spanish.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere sentido	that I should have felt (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres sentido	that you should have felt (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere sentido	that he / she should have felt (rare/formal); that you should have felt (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos sentido	that we should have felt (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis sentido	that you (plural, informal) should have felt (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren sentido	that they / you (plural) should have felt (rare/formal)

• Si el trabajador hubiere sentido dolor, deberá informarlo. — If the worker should have felt pain, they must report it.

Sentir imperative and commands

Commands address other people directly. Spanish uses imperative forms and present-subjunctive forms according to person and polarity; there is no ordinary yo command.

Sentir affirmative commands

The informal singular command is siente — feel / sense. Formal and plural command forms reflect the same e → ie and e → i distribution seen in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	siente	feel / sense!
Usted — you, singular formal	sienta	feel / sense! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	sintamos	let’s feel / sense!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sentid	feel / sense! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	sientan	feel / sense! (plural)

• Siente la textura con los dedos. — Feel the texture with your fingers.

Sentir negative commands

Negative commands use present-subjunctive-based forms and have no ordinary yo command.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no sientas	do not feel / sense!
Usted — you, singular formal	no sienta	do not feel / sense! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	no sintamos	let’s not feel / sense!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no sintáis	do not feel / sense! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no sientan	do not feel / sense! (plural)

• No sientas culpa por pedir ayuda. — Do not feel guilty for asking for help.

Common constructions with Sentir

Sentir commonly takes a noun for a sensation or emotion, and sentir que + clause introduces something perceived or felt. Lo siento — I am sorry is also a very common fixed use of the verb.

• Siento una vibración en el suelo. — I feel a vibration in the floor.
• Siento que algo ha cambiado. — I feel that something has changed.
• Lo siento mucho. — I am very sorry.

Example sentences with Sentir

These examples reinforce the target verb across several useful systems and contexts.

• Siento una ligera presión en el brazo. — I feel a slight pressure in my arm.
• Ayer sentí mucha alegría al verla. — Yesterday I felt great joy when I saw her.
• De niño, sentía miedo durante las tormentas. — As a child, I used to feel afraid during storms.
• Voy a sentir alivio cuando termine el examen. — I am going to feel relief when the exam ends.
• Dudo que sientan el mismo frío aquí dentro. — I doubt that they feel the same cold in here.
• Ya he sentido ese olor antes. — I have smelled that odor before.
• Sentid el ritmo antes de empezar. — Feel the rhythm before starting.
• No sintáis miedo de hacer preguntas. — Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Rare and reference forms of Sentir

The future subjunctive and future perfect subjunctive above are already marked as rare in modern everyday Spanish. The preterite anterior is another formal or literary reference form and is uncommon in present-day conversation.

• Apenas hube sentido el temblor, salí del edificio. — As soon as I had felt the tremor, I left the building.

Use Sentir by choosing the time frame first and then applying its verified stem, spelling, or pronoun pattern. Keep rare reference systems distinct from the forms used in ordinary modern conversation.