Sentir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of sentir — to feel — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Sentir means to feel and to be sorry: siento frío, lo siento. It is an e → ie stem-changing verb with an e → i change in the preterite third persons (sintió, sintieron) and the gerund sintiendo. Sentirse is to feel in the reflexive sense: me siento bien. This page gives you the complete present tense table for sentir, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo siento frío en invierno.” — “I feel cold in winter”.

Present tense conjugation of sentir

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sentir. Sentir is an e → ie stem-changing irregular -ir verb (irregular in present, present-subjunctive, preterite, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Present tense indicative — sentir

Person Form
yo siento
tú sientes
él/ella/Ud. siente
nosotros/as sentimos
vosotros/as sentís
ellos/ellas/Uds. sienten

The gerund of sentir is sintiendo and the past participle is sentido. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of sentir is formed

The present tense of sentir does not follow the regular pattern. It has a e → ie stem change, so the stem vowel changes in the stressed forms. If sentir were regular, the present tense forms would be yo → sento, tú → sentes, él/ella/Ud. → sente, nosotros/as → sentimos, vosotros/as → sentís, ellos/ellas/Uds. → senten — but sentir breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are siento, sientes, siente, sentimos, sentís and sienten.

The stem change affects the stressed forms only: siento, sientes, siente and sienten change, while sentimos and sentís keep the plain stem. That is the rule for every e → ie stem-changing verb, and it is why the nosotros and vosotros forms are the safe ones to fall back on when you are unsure.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, sentís carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of sentir

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with sentir: “Yo siento frío en invierno.” — “I feel cold in winter”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with sentir: “Ella siente alegría al verte.” — “She feels joy when she sees you”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with sentir: “Nosotros sentimos orgullo de nuestro equipo.” — “We feel proud of our team”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with sentir: “Ellos sienten miedo en la oscuridad.” — “They feel afraid in the dark”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: sentir now, sentir later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo siento frío todos los días.” — “I feel cold every day.”

  • Future: “Yo sentiré frío mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will feel cold.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella siente frío ahora.” — “She feels cold now.”

  • Future: “Ella sentirá frío la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will feel cold.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros sentimos frío en clase.” — “We feel cold in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros sentiremos frío el lunes.” — “On Monday we will feel cold.”

Example sentences: sentir in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of sentir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo siento frío en invierno.” — “I feel cold in winter.”
  • “Ella siente alegría al verte.” — “She feels joy when she sees you.”
  • “Nosotros sentimos orgullo de nuestro equipo.” — “We feel proud of our team.”
  • “Ellos sienten miedo en la oscuridad.” — “They feel afraid in the dark.”
  • “¿Tú sientes dolor en el brazo?” — “Do you feel pain in your arm?”
  • “Vosotros sentís vergüenza a veces.” — “You feel embarrassed sometimes.”

Common mistakes with sentir in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo sento frío.

Right: Yo siento frío.

Sentir changes e to ie in the present: siento, not sento.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Él sentió pena — learners use the wrong preterite stem.

Right: Él siente pena.

Third-person preterite changes e to i: sintió, not sentió.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem in a stressed form.

Right: Use the changed stem: siento.

The e → ie stem change applies to the stressed forms of sentir — the yo form is siento, not the plain stem.

Quiz: sentir in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of sentir. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of sentir in the present tense?

  • A) siento
  • B) sientes
  • C) siente
  • D) sentimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is siento.

2. What is the tú form of sentir in the present tense?

  • A) siento
  • B) siente
  • C) sentimos
  • D) sientes

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is sientes.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of sentir in the present tense?

  • A) sientes
  • B) sentimos
  • C) siente
  • D) siento

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is siente.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of sentir in the present tense?

  • A) siente
  • B) sentimos
  • C) siento
  • D) sientes

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is sentimos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ frío en invierno.” (I feel cold in winter.)

  • A) siento
  • B) sientes
  • C) siente
  • D) sentimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs siento.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ alegría al verte.” (She feels joy when she sees you.)

  • A) siento
  • B) sientes
  • C) sentimos
  • D) siente

Answer: D — The sentence needs siente.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo sento frío.
  • B) Yo siento frío.

Answer: B — Sentir changes e to ie in the present: siento, not sento.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Él siente pena.
  • B) Él sentió pena — learners use the wrong preterite stem.

Answer: A — Third-person preterite changes e to i: sintió, not sentió.

Frequently asked questions

Is sentir regular in the present tense?

No. sentir is irregular in the present tense: the forms are siento, sientes, siente, sentimos, sentís and sienten. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of sentir in the present tense?

It is siento. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for sentir it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of sentir instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of sentir?

Say the six forms aloud in order — siento, sientes, siente, sentimos, sentís, sienten — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for sentir to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo siento…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo sentí…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo sentiré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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