Sentir Conjugation in French: Complete Tables and Usage Guide

Sentir Conjugation French: The Complete Guide to Tenses, Meaning & Usage

Mastering the sentir conjugation in French is a major milestone for French language learners. Classified as an irregular 3rd-group verb ending in -tir, sentir primarily translates to "to smell", "to sense", or "to feel".

However, its pronominal cousin, se sentir, is equally crucial when expressing personal emotions and physical well-being. Below, you will find exhaustive conjugation tables across the most used indicative, subjunctive, and conditional tenses, accompanied by practical pronunciation tips and common idioms.

1. The Key Pattern for Verbs Ending in -tir

Unlike regular second-group verbs (such as choisir or finir), sentir does not insert -iss- in its plural forms. Instead, it follows a classic third-group pattern shared with mentir (to lie), partir (to leave), and sortir (to go out):

• Singular present indicative: The final "t" drops from the root: je sen-s, tu sen-s, il sen-t.
• Plural present indicative: The root restores the "t": nous sent-ons, vous sent-ez, ils sent-ent.

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2. Present Indicative: Conjugation & Pronunciation

Notice that the singular forms (sens, sens, sent) are completely homophonous in spoken French.

Pronunciation tip: In ils sentent, the final -ent is silent, but the "t" before it is clearly articulated (/sɑ̃t/).

3. Core Indicative Tenses

Passé Composé (Past Tense)

Sentir uses the auxiliary verb avoir and takes the regular past participle senti.

• J'ai senti (I smelled / felt)
• Tu as senti
• Il / Elle / On a senti
• Nous avons senti
• Vous avez senti
• Ils / Elles ont senti

Example: J'ai senti une goutte de pluie. (I felt a drop of rain.)

Imparfait (Imperfect)

Formed by taking the nous stem (sent-) and appending standard imperfect endings:

• Je sentais
• Tu sentais
• Il / Elle sentait
• Nous sentions
• Vous sentiez
• Ils / Elles sentaient

Futur Simple & Conditionnel Présent

Both tenses keep the full infinitive stem sentir-:

4. Subjunctive and Imperative

Subjonctif Présent

Expresses doubt, necessity, or subjective feeling. The stem is sent- across all persons:

• Que je sente
• Que tu sentes
• Qu'il / elle sente
• Que nous sentions
• Que vous sentiez
• Qu'ils / elles sentent

Example: Il faut que tu sentes ce parfum ! (You have to smell this perfume!)

Impératif (Commands)

• Sens ! (Smell / Feel! - informal singular)
• Sentons ! (Let's smell / feel!)
• Sentez ! (Smell / Feel! - formal or plural)

Note: Unlike first-group regular -er verbs, the imperative singular of sentir retains its terminal -s.

5. Sentir vs. Se Sentir: Don't Confuse Them!

This is one of the most common pitfalls for English speakers when using sentir:

1. Sentir (transitive): Used when perceiving something outside yourself.

• Je sens les épices. (I smell the spices.)
• Tu sens le vent ? (Do you feel the wind?)

2. Se sentir (reflexive): Used when talking about how you feel physically or emotionally.

• Je me sens triste. (I feel sad - NOT je sens triste).
• Elle se sent en forme. (She feels energetic.)

• Je me suis senti(e) fatigué(e). (I felt tired.)

Crucial Grammar Note: When using the reflexive form in compound tenses, switch auxiliary to être:

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6. Popular French Idioms with Sentir

• Ça sent bon / Ça sent mauvais: It smells good / bad (can also mean things look promising or suspicious).
• Sentir le roussi: Literally "to smell of burning"; idiomatically means that a situation is taking a turn for the worse.
• Ne pas pouvoir sentir quelqu'un: To be unable to stand someone (Je ne peux pas le sentir = I can't stand him).

By practicing the short singular forms (sens, sens, sent) and remembering the reflexive distinction (sentir vs se sentir), your command of this verb will sound natural and grammatically accurate.