Why Sentir Needs Its Own Chunks
Sentir and its reflexive form sentirse are close cousins, but they work differently. Sentirse describes your state, while sentir handles apologies, impressions, and sensations. Learn the frames and you will not mix them up.
Pattern 1: Me siento + adjective — "I feel…"
The reflexive form describes how you are feeling. The adjective agrees with you in gender and number.
- Me siento cansado. — I feel tired.
- Hoy me siento mucho mejor. — I feel much better today.
- ¿Cómo te sientes? — How do you feel?
Chunk to learn:
Me siento + [adjective]
Pattern 2: Lo siento / Siento + infinitive — "I'm sorry"
Without the reflexive pronoun, sentir means to regret. This is the standard apology in Spanish.
- Lo siento mucho. — I'm very sorry.
- Lo siento, no te oí. — Sorry, I didn't hear you.
- Siento llegar tarde. — I'm sorry to be late.
Chunk to learn:
Lo siento / Siento + [infinitive]
Pattern 3: Siento que + indicative — "I feel that…"
For an impression or hunch you cannot fully prove. It takes the indicative because you are reporting how things seem to you.
- Siento que algo ha cambiado. — I feel that something has changed.
- Siento que me estás mintiendo. — I feel like you're lying to me.
- Siento que no tengo tiempo. — I feel like I don't have time.
Chunk to learn:
Siento que + [indicative]
Pattern 4: Sentirse como en casa — "Feel at home"
A welcoming chunk. Siéntete como en casa is what a Spanish host says to put you at ease.
- Siéntete como en casa. — Make yourself at home.
- Aquí me siento como en casa. — I feel at home here.
- Se sintió como en casa enseguida. — She felt at home right away.
Chunk to learn:
Sentirse como en casa
Pattern 5: Me siento identificado/a con — "I relate to"
A natural way to say a story, character, or opinion speaks to you. Use identificado if you are male and identificada if you are female.
- Me siento identificado con esa historia. — I relate to that story.
- Me sentí muy identificada con el personaje. — I really related to the character.
- ¿Te sientes identificado con lo que dice? — Do you relate to what he says?
Chunk to learn:
Me siento identificado/a con + [noun]
Pattern 6: Me hace sentir… — "It makes me feel…"
To say what someone or something does to your mood, use hacer sentir. No reflexive pronoun on the infinitive.
- Me haces sentir bien. — You make me feel good.
- Me hizo sentir tonto. — He made me feel stupid.
- Eso me hace sentir mejor. — That makes me feel better.
Chunk to learn:
Me hace(s) sentir + [adjective]
Say How You Feel
These six frames cover most of the emotional vocabulary you need in daily conversation. For more verbs of the mind, see [Pensar] Chunks and [Querer] Chunks.
Start with me siento… and lo siento. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.