The preterite of sentirse is used to express how someone felt at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I felt sick yesterday morning” – “Me sentí enfermo ayer por la mañana.”

This is an e to i stem-changing reflexive verb in the preterite tense. The stem change occurs in the third person forms, and you must include the appropriate reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) before each conjugated form.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Sentirse (to feel) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of sentirse expresses how someone felt at a specific moment or during a defined period.

To feel (emotionally/physically): Describes specific feelings or sensations, for example Me sentí mal después de comer (I felt sick after eating), or Se sintió feliz cuando ganó (They felt happy when they won).

To experience a sensation: Indicates specific experiences, for example Me sentí como en casa (I felt at home).

Examples

Examples of Sentirse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me sentí muy orgulloso de mis logros. (I felt very proud of my achievements.)

¿Cómo te sentiste después de la presentación? (How did you feel after the presentation?)

Se sintió mal durante la cena. (He/she felt ill during dinner.)

Nos sentimos felices por tu éxito. (We felt happy about your success.)

Se sintieron decepcionados con los resultados. (They felt disappointed with the results.)

Me sentí mejor después de hablar contigo. (I felt better after talking to you.)

¿Te sentiste cómodo en la entrevista? (Did you feel comfortable in the interview?)

Se sintió aliviada al recibir la noticia. (She felt relieved upon receiving the news.)

Nos sentimos inspirados por su discurso. (We felt inspired by his speech.)

Se sintieron exhaustos después del ejercicio. (They felt exhausted after the exercise.)

Me sentí nervioso antes del examen. (I felt nervous before the exam.)

¿Por qué te sentiste así? (Why did you feel that way?)

Se sintió culpable por mentir. (He felt guilty for lying.)

Nos sentimos agradecidos por tu ayuda. (We felt grateful for your help.)

Se sintieron seguros en el nuevo barrio. (They felt safe in the new neighborhood.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Sentirse (to feel) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.