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"to feel" in seven languages

Meaningto feel

Spanish

sentir

/senˈtiɾ/

inherited

Lo siento 'I'm sorry' is literally 'I feel it'.

French

sentir

/sɑ̃tiʁ/

inherited

Also 'to smell'; for how you feel, use se sentir.

Italian

sentire

/senˈtire/

inherited

Also 'to hear' and 'to smell'.

Portuguese

sentir

/sẽˈtʃih/

inherited

Romanian

simți

/simˈtsi/

inherited

Romanian closed e to i before n and made t + i into ț.

Catalan

sentir

/sənˈti/

inherited

Also 'to hear'.

English

feel

/fil/

native English · Old English fēlan

English → Italianto feelsentireNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: sense, sentiment, consent, scent.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SENTĪRE‘to perceive, feel’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

One Latin verb for every kind of perceiving: Italian sentire still hears, smells and feels; French sentir smells and feels; Spanish sentir feels — and apologizes.

English relatives: sense, sentiment, consent, scent

Learn it

Practice the Feelings deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • es¿Cómo te sientes?
  • frComment tu te sens ?
  • itCome ti senti?
  • ptComo você está se sentindo?
  • roCum te simți?
  • caCom et sents?
  • enHow do you feel?

More in Feelings

All Feelings words