Sentir Conjugation in French
sentir means “to feel” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 32 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about feeling a flower in the garden, and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of sentir — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Je sens une fleur dans le jardin tous les jours.” — “I feel a flower in the garden every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: sentir
- English: to feel
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: sentant
- Past participle: senti
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -ir verbs; pattern tir in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sentir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read sentir in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about sentir
- It is irregular in 5 tense(s): present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use avoir: the present perfect is formed with avoir in the present plus the past participle senti. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is sentant and the participle is senti: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sentir. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sens |
| tu | sens |
| il/elle | sent |
| nous | sentons |
| vous | sentez |
| ils/elles | sentent |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With sentir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Je sens le froid en hiver tous les jours.” — “I feel the cold in winter every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sentis |
| tu | sentis |
| il/elle | sentit |
| nous | sentîmes |
| vous | sentîtes |
| ils/elles | sentirent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. With sentir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tu sentis le froid en hiver hier.” — “You felt the cold in winter yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sentais |
| tu | sentais |
| il/elle | sentait |
| nous | sentions |
| vous | sentiez |
| ils/elles | sentaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Il sentait le froid en hiver autrefois.” — “He used to feel the cold in winter in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sentirai |
| tu | sentiras |
| il/elle | sentira |
| nous | sentirons |
| vous | sentirez |
| ils/elles | sentiront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Je sentirai le froid en hiver demain.” — “I will feel the cold in winter tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sentirais |
| tu | sentirais |
| il/elle | sentirait |
| nous | sentirions |
| vous | sentiriez |
| ils/elles | sentiraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Tu sentirais le froid en hiver un jour.” — “You would feel the cold in winter one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai senti |
| tu | as senti |
| il/elle | a senti |
| nous | avons senti |
| vous | avez senti |
| ils/elles | ont senti |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. For example: “Il a senti le froid en hiver cette semaine.” — “He has felt the cold in winter this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais senti |
| tu | avais senti |
| il/elle | avait senti |
| nous | avions senti |
| vous | aviez senti |
| ils/elles | avaient senti |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais senti le froid en hiver avant la fête.” — “I had felt the cold in winter before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai senti |
| tu | auras senti |
| il/elle | aura senti |
| nous | aurons senti |
| vous | aurez senti |
| ils/elles | auront senti |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras senti le froid en hiver pour demain.” — “You will have felt the cold in winter by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais senti |
| tu | aurais senti |
| il/elle | aurait senti |
| nous | aurions senti |
| vous | auriez senti |
| ils/elles | auraient senti |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait senti le froid en hiver hier.” — “He would have felt the cold in winter yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sente |
| tu | sentes |
| il/elle | sente |
| nous | sentions |
| vous | sentiez |
| ils/elles | sentent |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With sentir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il est important que je sente le froid en hiver.” — “It is important that I feel the cold in winter.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sentisse |
| tu | sentisses |
| il/elle | sentît |
| nous | sentissions |
| vous | sentissiez |
| ils/elles | sentissent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. For example: “Il est important que tu sentisses le froid en hiver.” — “It is important that you feel the cold in winter.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sens |
| nous | sentons |
| vous | sentez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With sentir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Sens le froid en hiver !” — “Feel the cold in winter!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sens |
| nous | sentons |
| vous | sentez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With sentir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ne sens pas le froid en hiver.” — “Do not feel the cold in winter.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en sentant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En sentant une fleur dans le jardin, je passe un bon moment.” — “While feeling a flower in the garden, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | senti |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai senti une fleur dans le jardin cette semaine.” — “I have felt a flower in the garden this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with sentir, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je sens une fleur dans le jardin tous les jours.” — “I feel a flower in the garden every day.”
- “Tu sentis le froid en hiver hier.” — “You felt the cold in winter yesterday.”
- “Il sentait que quelque chose change autrefois.” — “He used to feel that something is changing in the past.”
- “Je sentirai une fleur dans le jardin demain.” — “I will feel a flower in the garden tomorrow.”
- “Tu sentirais le froid en hiver un jour.” — “You would feel the cold in winter one day.”
- “Il a senti que quelque chose change cette semaine.” — “He has felt that something is changing this week.”
- “J'avais senti une fleur dans le jardin avant la fête.” — “I had felt a flower in the garden before the party.”
- “Tu auras senti le froid en hiver pour demain.” — “You will have felt the cold in winter by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il sente que quelque chose change.” — “It is important that he feel that something is changing.”
- “Sens une fleur dans le jardin !” — “Feel a flower in the garden!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je sentir une fleur dans le jardin.”
✓ Right: “Je sens une fleur dans le jardin.”
The infinitive sentir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form sens.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je sentent une fleur dans le jardin.”
✓ Right: “Je sens une fleur dans le jardin.”
sentent is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with sens.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je sentis une fleur dans le jardin tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je sens une fleur dans le jardin tous les jours.”
The passé simple sentis describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present sens.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je sens une fleur dans le jardin.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je sente une fleur dans le jardin.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use sente here, not the indicative sens.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis senti une fleur dans le jardin.”
✓ Right: “Je ai senti une fleur dans le jardin.”
The passé composé of sentir is formed with avoir plus the past participle senti: the je form is ai senti. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “sens” written without its accent
✓ Right: “sens”
Accents are part of the spelling in French. Write the form exactly as it appears in the table, accent included, or it looks like a different word.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on sentir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of sentir in the Present indicative?
- A) sent
- B) sentons
- C) sentez
- D) sens
What is the il/elle form of sentir in the Passé simple?
- A) sentîtes
- B) sentit
- C) sentis
- D) sentîmes
What is the nous form of sentir in the Imperfect?
- A) sentiez
- B) sentions
- C) sentais
- D) sentait
What is the tu form of sentir in the Future?
- A) sentirai
- B) sentira
- C) sentirons
- D) sentiras
What is the je form of sentir in the Conditional?
- A) sentirions
- B) sentiriez
- C) sentirais
- D) sentirait
What is the il/elle form of sentir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) a senti
- B) ai senti
- C) as senti
- D) avons senti
What is the il/elle form of sentir in the Present subjunctive?
- A) sentiez
- B) sente
- C) sentes
- D) sentions
What is the je form of sentir in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) sentît
- B) sentissions
- C) sentisse
- D) sentisses
What is the gerund of sentir?
- A) en sentant
- B) en restant
- C) en arrivant
- D) en entendant
What does sentir mean in English?
- A) to hear
- B) to feel
- C) to stay
- D) to arrive
Answer key
- D) sens — the je form of sentir in the Present indicative is sens. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) sentit — the il/elle form of sentir in the Passé simple is sentit. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) sentions — the nous form of sentir in the Imperfect is sentions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) sentiras — the tu form of sentir in the Future is sentiras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) sentirais — the je form of sentir in the Conditional is sentirais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) a senti — the il/elle form of sentir in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a senti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) sente — the il/elle form of sentir in the Present subjunctive is sente. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) sentisse — the je form of sentir in the Imperfect subjunctive is sentisse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) en sentant — the gerund of sentir is en sentant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to feel — sentir means “to feel” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does sentir mean in English?
sentir means “to feel”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is sentir regular or irregular?
sentir is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is sentant and the past participle is senti.
What are the gerund and past participle of sentir?
The gerund is sentant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is senti — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai senti.
Which auxiliary does sentir take in the passé composé?
sentir takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai senti. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle senti.
How do I say “I feel” in French?
Say “Je sens une fleur dans le jardin tous les jours.” — “I feel a flower in the garden every day.” The je form of the present is sens, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sentir — every tense of sentir in one place.
- Sentir in the passé composé tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Sentir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Rester conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Arriver conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Entendre conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise sentir with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise sentir with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise sentir with the interactive tool.