Sentirse in the Present Tense

Sentirse means “to feel”, and this page covers exactly one thing: sentirse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for sentirse, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about sentirse in the present. For example: “Yo me siento bien después de descansar.” — I feel well after resting. Everything on this page uses the forms of sentirse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Sentirse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me siento
tú te sientes
él/ella/Ud. se siente
nosotros/as nos sentimos
vosotros/as os sentís
ellos/ellas/Uds. se sienten

Gerund: sintiendo · Past participle: sentido

The gerund is sintiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy sintiendo” means the action of sentirse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is sentido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he sentido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how sentirse is used.

How the present of sentirse is formed

Sentirse does not use one regular stem in this tense, so the forms below do not follow the simple stem + endings pattern. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Learn the six forms as a set: yo siento, tú sientes, él/ella/Ud. siente, nosotros/as sentimos, vosotros/as sentís, ellos/ellas/Uds. sienten. Because sentirse is reflexive, put the pronoun before each form: me siento, te sientes, se siente, nos sentimos, os sentís, se sienten.

The stem change is the main point to learn here: sentirse changes e → ie in the singular and the third-person plural, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Say the six forms out loud in order — siento, sientes, siente, sentimos, sentís, sienten — and the pattern becomes automatic.

When to use the present of sentirse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sentirse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and sentirse is no exception. Example: “Yo me siento bien después de descansar todos los días.” — I feel well after resting every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what sentirse means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Se siente cansado después del trabajo.” — He/she feels tired after work.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo me siento feliz con la noticia ahora.” — I feel happy with the news now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros nos sentimos mal con el frío.” — We feel unwell in the cold.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú te sientes bien después de descansar.” — You feel well after resting.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me siento bien después de descansar todos los días.” — I feel well after resting every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me sentí bien después de descansar.” — Yesterday, I felt well after resting.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él se siente cansado después del trabajo cada semana.” — He/she feels tired after work every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él se sintió cansado después del trabajo.” — Last week, he felt tired after work.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos sentimos feliz con la noticia a menudo.” — We feel happy with the news often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros nos sentimos feliz con la noticia.” — Yesterday, we felt happy with the news.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: sentirse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Me siento bien después de descansar.” — I feel well after resting.

  2. “Te sientes cansado después del trabajo.” — You feel tired after work.

  3. “Se siente feliz con la noticia.” — He/she feels happy with the news.

  4. “Nos sentimos mal con el frío.” — We feel unwell in the cold.

  5. “Os sentís bien después de descansar.” — You feel well after resting.

  6. “Se sienten cansado después del trabajo.” — They feel tired after work.

  7. “Me siento feliz con la noticia.” — I feel happy with the news.

  8. “Se siente mal con el frío.” — He/she feels unwell in the cold.

Common mistakes with sentirse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo siento bien después de descansar.” Right: “Yo me siento bien después de descansar.” Why: Sentirse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required before every form. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

  • Wrong: “Yo sento cansado después del trabajo.” Right: “Yo siento cansado después del trabajo.” Why: Sentirse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros sientes feliz con la noticia.” Right: “Nosotros nos sentimos feliz con la noticia.” Why: Nosotros needs nos sentimos. The tú form sientes belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos siento mal con el frío todos los días.” Right: “Ellos se sienten mal con el frío todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form se sienten, not the yo form siento. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: sentirse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ bien después de descansar.” (Well after resting.)

  • (a) me siento
  • (b) te sientes
  • (c) se siente

Answer: me siento — The yo form of sentirse in the present is me siento. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ cansado después del trabajo?” (Tired after work.)

  • (a) me siento
  • (b) se siente
  • (c) te sientes

Answer: te sientes — The tú form of sentirse in the present is te sientes. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ feliz con la noticia.” (Happy with the news.)

  • (a) te sientes
  • (b) se siente
  • (c) me siento

Answer: se siente — The él/ella/Ud. form of sentirse in the present is se siente. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ mal con el frío.” (Unwell in the cold.)

  • (a) nos sentimos
  • (b) me siento
  • (c) te sientes

Answer: nos sentimos — The nosotros/as form of sentirse in the present is nos sentimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of sentirse in the present?

  • (a) me siento
  • (b) te sientes
  • (c) os sentís

Answer: os sentís — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os sentís. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os sentís bien después de descansar.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ cansado después del trabajo.” (Tired after work.)

  • (a) te sientes
  • (b) se sienten
  • (c) me siento

Answer: se sienten — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of sentirse in the present is se sienten. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of sentirse in the present?

  • (a) me siento
  • (b) te sientes
  • (c) se siente

Answer: me siento — The yo form is me siento. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo me sentí bien después de descansar todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros nos sentiremos bien después de descansar mañana.
  • (c) Yo me siento bien después de descansar todos los días.

Answer: Yo me siento bien después de descansar todos los días. — “Yo me siento bien después de descansar todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is sentirse regular in the present?

No. Sentirse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the present changes the stem in the singular and third-person plural: siento, sientes, siente, sentimos, sentís, sienten. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the original stem.

What is the past participle of sentirse?

The past participle is sentido: 'He sentido' means 'I have felt'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is sintiendo.

Does sentirse take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Sentirse changes e to ie in the present (me siento) and e to i in the preterite third person (se sintió) and the gerund (sintiendo). In the examples on this page, sentirse appears with complements such as bien después de descansar and cansado después del trabajo, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of sentirse?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo me siento, tú te sientes, él/ella/Ud. se siente, nosotros/as nos sentimos, vosotros/as os sentís, ellos/ellas/Uds. se sienten. Then write three of your own sentences with sentirse in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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