Sentir Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Sentir,” meaning “to feel,” is a very useful verb in Spanish.

It is crucial for expressing emotions and sensations in everyday conversations, and mastering the conjugation of this irregular verb opens doors to understanding Spanish verb conjugation.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and in this guide, you’ll find a verb chart for every tense and every “sentir” conjugation.

You’ll also find example sentences with English translations, and practical tips to help you incorporate this Spanish verb into spoken Spanish more naturally.

Whether you’re expressing apologies with phrases like “Lo siento” or delving into deeper emotions, this guide will equip you with the skills to conjugate “sentir” confidently and communicate effectively in Spanish.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	siento
you	tú	sientes
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	siente
we	nosotros,nosotras	sentimos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sentís
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	sienten

When We Use the Present Tense

The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now, habitual actions, general truths, or actions in the near future.

In Spanish, the indicative mood of the present tense is formed by removing the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and adding the corresponding endings for each subject pronoun.

“Sentir” is a stem changing verb, which means the middle of the word changes when conjugated. You will how this looks in context below.

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Sentir” in the Present Tense

• Me siento bien. (I feel good.)
• Tú te sientes cansado. (You feel tired.)
• Él/Ella siente dolor. (He/She feels pain.)
• Nosotros sentimos emociones fuertes. (We feel strong emotions.)
• Vosotros sentís tristeza. (You all feel sadness.)
• Ellos/Ellas sienten felicidad. (They feel happiness.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sentí
you	tú	sentiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	sintió
we	nosotros, nosotras	sentimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	sentisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	sintieron

When We Use the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense in Spanish is used to express actions that occurred at a specific point in the past and are viewed as completed.

The translation is “felt”, rather than “was feeling” or “used to feel”.

In Spanish, we use the indicative preterite tense for actions that happened and ended in the past.

You can see this within the example sentences I have written below.

Examples of “Sentir” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo sentí una presencia extraña anoche. (I felt a strange presence last night.)
• Tú sentiste frío durante la tormenta. (You felt cold during the storm.)
• Él/Ella sintió alegría al verte. (He/She felt joy upon seeing you.)
• Nosotros sentimos miedo en la oscuridad. (We felt fear in the dark.)
• Vosotros sentisteis alivio al terminar el examen. (You all felt relief after finishing the exam.)
• Ellos/Ellas sintieron tristeza por la noticia. (They felt sadness about the news.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sentía
you	tú	sentías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	sentía
we	nosotros, nosotras	sentíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	sentíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	sentían

When We Use the Imperfect Tense

Unlike the previous past tense discussed, the imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, as well as to provide background information.

For this reason, you will often find this tense in Spanish literature.

Examples of the Spanish verb “sentir” conjugated in both singular and plural forms are below.

Examples of “Sentir” in the Imperfect Tense

• Yo sentía nostalgia por mi país. (I used to feel nostalgic for my country.)
• Tú sentías el calor del sol en tu piel. (You used to feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.)
• Él/Ella sentía que algo le faltaba. (He/She felt like something was missing.)
• Nosotros sentíamos paz en aquel lugar. (We felt peace in that place.)
• Vosotros sentíais emoción antes del concierto. (You all felt excitement before the concert.)
• Ellos/Ellas sentían gratitud hacia sus padres. (They felt gratitude towards their parents.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sentiré
you	tú	sentirás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	sentirá
we	nosotros,nosotras	sentiremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sentiréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	sentirán

When We Use the Future Tense

The future tense in Spanish allows us to express actions that will occur at a later time.

So, the translation is “will feel” for each conjugation in the future tense (also visible within the verb chart above).

The indicative informal future tense form, as well as every other conjugation type, can be found below.

The Spanish future tense is easy to master; just add the appropriate endings to the infinitive of the verb.

Examples of “Sentir” in the Future Tense

• Yo sentiré tu ausencia. (I will feel your absence.)
• Tú sentirás alivio cuando termine el trabajo. (You will feel relief when the work is done.)
• Él/Ella sentirá orgullo por tus logros. (He/She will feel proud of your accomplishments.)
• Nosotros sentiremos nostalgia al despedirnos. (We will feel nostalgic when saying goodbye.)
• Vosotros sentiréis emoción por el viaje. (You all will feel excitement for the trip.)
• Ellos/Ellas sentirán amor por la naturaleza. (They will feel love for nature.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sentiría
you	tú	sentirías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	sentiría
we	nosotros,nosotras	sentiríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sentiríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	sentirían

When We Use the Conditional Tense

We use the conditional tense in Spanish when we want to express hypothetical situations or actions that would occur under certain conditions.

So, remember that the future tense means “will” and the conditional tense means “would”.

This tense is also really easy to master, and you’ll get a sense of this by reading the example sentences below.

Just add the appropriate endings to the infinitive of the verb.

Examples of “Sentir” in Conditional Tense

• Yo sentiría tu dolor si pudiera. (I would feel your pain if I could.)
• Tú sentirías más confianza si practicaras más. (You would feel more confident if you practiced more.)
• Él/Ella sentiría gratitud si le ayudaras. (He/She would feel gratitude if you helped him/her.)
• Nosotros sentiríamos alegría si ganáramos. (We would feel joy if we won.)
• Vosotros sentiríais más tranquilidad si os relajarais. (You all would feel more calm if you relaxed.)
• Ellos/Ellas sentirían más esperanza si supieran la verdad. (They would feel more hope if they knew the truth.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	sentido
you	tú	has	sentido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	sentido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	sentido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	sentido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	sentido

When We Use the Perfect Tense

The perfect tense allows us to talk about actions that have been completed. If we take “sentir” as our example, the translation is “have felt”.

In order to form the perfect tense in Spanish, we need to use the auxiliary verb “haber”, then follow this with the past participle of the verb ”sentir” – ”sentido.”

Don’t worry if this sounds complicated. It’s actually very easy. Just look at the verb chart above and learn the endings in the ‘auxiliary verb’ column.

Examples of the verb “sentir” in the perfect tense

• Yo he sentido una presencia extraña esta mañana. (I have felt a strange presence this morning.)
• Tú has sentido miedo alguna vez. (You have felt fear at some point.)
• Él/Ella ha sentido tristeza por la pérdida. (He/She has felt sadness over the loss.)
• Nosotros hemos sentido alegría al verte. (We have felt joy upon seeing you.)
• Vosotros habéis sentido alivio tras la decisión. (You all have felt relief after the decision.)
• Ellos/Ellas han sentido empatía por los demás. (They have felt empathy for others.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	sentido
you	tú	habías	sentido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	sentido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	sentido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	sentido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	sentido

When We Use the Pluperfect Tense

We use the pluperfect tense in Spanish when we want to describe actions that had occurred before another past action or point in the past.

This tense is often used to narrate events that happened before the main action in a story e.g. “I had felt something before the ghost appeared” (I don’t believe in ghosts, by the way 👻)

In order to form this tense, we take the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” followed by the past participle ”sentido.”

Examples of “Sentir” in the Pluperfect Tense

• Yo había sentido esa sensación antes. (I had felt that sensation before.)
• Tú habías sentido la misma emoción en el pasado. (You had felt the same emotion in the past.)
• Él/Ella había sentido esa presencia antes de irse. (He/She had felt that presence before leaving.)
• Nosotros habíamos sentido preocupación por su seguridad. (We had felt concern for their safety.)
• Vosotros habíais sentido la tensión en el aire. (You all had felt the tension in the air.)
• Ellos/Ellas habían sentido esa conexión desde el primer momento. (They had felt that connection since the first moment.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	sentido
you	tú	habrás	sentido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	sentido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	sentido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	sentido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	sentido

When We Use the Future Perfect

The future perfect tense is used to talk about actions that will have been completed by a certain time in the future.

So, if we look at “sentir” as an example, “Yo habré sentido” means “I will have felt.)

Again, we need to use the auxiliary verb “haber” in order to make this tense, then use the the past participle of the “sentir”.

As you now know, this is “sentido”.

Examples of “Sentir” in the Future Perfect

• Yo habré sentido alivio cuando termine este proyecto. (I will have felt relief when I finish this project.)
• Tú habrás sentido emoción al verla. (You will have felt excitement upon seeing her.)
• Él/Ella habrá sentido orgullo por tus logros. (He/She will have felt pride in your achievements.)
• Nosotros habremos sentido gratitud por su ayuda. (We will have felt gratitude for their help.)
• Vosotros habréis sentido satisfacción al completar el trabajo. (You all will have felt satisfaction upon completing the work.)
• Ellos/Ellas habrán sentido amor a lo largo de sus vidas. (They will have felt love throughout their lives.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	sentido
you	tú	habrías	sentido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	sentido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	sentido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	sentido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	sentido

When We Use the Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense is used to talk about actions that would have been completed under certain conditions in the past.

For example, “I would have been happy if Arsenal had won the league”.

This is a great tense to use when you want to combine the conditional perfect tense with the imperfect subjunctive tense (I provide more information about this guide to Spanish Verb Tenses.)

The conditional perfect tense is formed by using the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of “Sentir” in the Conditional Perfect Tense

• Yo habría sentido su apoyo si me lo hubiera ofrecido. (I would have felt his support if he had offered it to me.)
• Tú habrías sentido más confianza si te hubieran dado más tiempo. (You would have felt more confident if they had given you more time.)
• Él/Ella habría sentido alivio si lo hubieras ayudado. (He/She would have felt relief if you had helped him/her.)
• Nosotros habríamos sentido más seguridad si nos lo hubieran explicado mejor. (We would have felt more confident if they had explained it better.)
• Vosotros habríais sentido menos estrés si hubieran sido más organizados. (You all would have felt less stressed if you had been more organized.)
• Ellos/Ellas habrían sentido más felicidad si las circunstancias hubieran sido diferentes. (They would have felt more happiness if the circumstances had been different.)

The Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sienta
you	tú	sientas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	sienta
we	nosotros,nosotras	sintamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sintáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	sientan

When We Use the Present Subjunctive

I am not going to go into how to use the subjunctive right now, as it’s a lengthy process and requires plenty of practice.

But you will find examples below.

Examples of “Sentir” in the Present Subjunctive

1. Si yo sienta que sea necesario, te avisaré. (If I feel it’s necessary, I will let you know.)
2. Es importante que tú sientas que hagas lo correcto en esta situación. (It’s important that you feel you’re doing the right thing in this situation.)
3. Es importante que él/ella sienta gratitud por lo que tiene. (It’s important that she feels gratitude for what she has.)
4. No saldremos a jugar hasta que nosotros sintamos que haya suficiente luz. (We won’t go out to play until we feel there is enough light.)
5. Ojalá que vosotros sintáis el amor que les tenemos. (I hope you all feel the love we have for you.)
6. No creo que ellos/ellas sientan la urgencia de actuar ahora. (I don’t think they feel the urgency to act now.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sintiera, sintiese
you	tú	sintieras, sintieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	sintiera, sintiese
we	nosotros,nosotras	sintiéramos, sintiésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sintierais, sintieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	sintieran, sintiesen

When We Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, or desires in the past tense.

If you want to use this tense to get the best possible grades, then try to use it with the conditional perfect tense.

It’s often used after certain verbs and expressions that indicate doubt, desire, or uncertainty.

Examples of “Sentir” in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Si yo sintiera menos dolor, podría concentrarme mejor. (If I felt less pain, I could concentrate better.)
• Preferiría que tú sintieras más empatía hacia los demás. (I would prefer if you felt more empathy towards others.)
• Era necesario que ella sintiera el apoyo de su familia en esos momentos difíciles. (It was necessary for her to feel the support of her family in those difficult times.)
• Nos hubiera gustado que nosotros sintiéramos más alegría durante el viaje. (We would have liked if we felt more joy during the trip.)
• Era importante que vosotros sintierais la importancia de vuestra contribución. (It was important for you all to feel the importance of your contribution.)
• Sería genial si ellos/ellas sintieran la misma pasión por este proyecto que nosotros. (It would be great if they felt the same passion for this project as we do.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡siente!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡sienta!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡sintamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡sentid!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡sientan!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative is used to give commands or orders in a positive manner, instructing someone to do something.

The verb “sentir” in the affirmative imperative form would be “siente” for the singular informal (tú) and “sienta” for the singular formal (usted).

Here are also examples of the imperative Spanish verb conjugation for ”sentir.”

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Sentir” in the Affirmative Imperative

• Siente la brisa marina en tu rostro. (Feel the sea breeze on your face.)
• Sienta el calor del sol en su piel. (Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.)
• Sintamos la música en nuestros corazones. (Let’s feel the music in our hearts.)
• Sentid la emoción de la aventura que nos espera. (Feel the excitement of the adventure that awaits us.)
• Sientan el amor que les rodea en este momento. (Feel the love surrounding you at this moment.)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no sientas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no sienta!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no sintamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no sintáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no sientan!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative is used to give commands or orders in a negative manner, instructing someone not to do something, and in the case of ”sentir” – not to feel in a certain way.

Below, you will find all ”sentir” conjugations in the negative imperative.

Examples of “Sentir” in the Negative Imperative

• No sientas miedo de perseguir tus sueños. (Don’t feel afraid to pursue your dreams.)
• No sienta lástima por mí, estoy bien. (Don’t feel sorry for me, I’m okay.) – Notice the use of ‘estar‘ here, by the way.
• No sintamos odio hacia aquellos que piensan diferente. (Let’s not feel hatred towards those who think differently.)
• No sintáis vergüenza de expresar vuestras emociones. (Don’t feel ashamed to express your emotions.)
• No sientan rencor hacia aquellos que les han lastimado. (Don’t feel resentment towards those who have hurt you.)

Online Spanish Courses & Grammar Courses

For a full list of Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Courses, check out this full list of online Spanish courses. 

I put this list together myself, and it comprises a mixture of courses that offer Spanish grammar practice for all levels, Spanish conjugation rules, conversational practice, listening and writing exercises in Spanish, exercises to practice conjugations, free Spanish courses, and a whole lot more. 

The fastest way to learn Spanish is to test a mixture of Spanish resources and choose the course that coincides most with your learning style. 

In addition to online Spanish courses, on this site you will find a wide range of Spanish podcasts, Spanish apps, Spanish YouTube channels, and both online and physical Spanish language schools.