Sentir vs. Sentir-se: Talk About Feelings and Sensations
Sentir often takes the thing you feel; sentir-se describes how someone feels. Learn which pattern fits your sentence.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Sentir can mean feel, sense, or experience. It takes a direct object when you name what is felt: sentir frio, sentir medo, sentir saudade.
Use sentir with a sensation, emotion, or thing you notice
The verb also means sense or notice: senti um cheiro estranho (I noticed a strange smell). Sinto muito is a fixed expression for an apology or sympathy.
Sinto frio quando chove.
I feel cold when it rains.
Ela sentiu saudade dos amigos.
She missed her friends.
Senti um barulho no corredor.
I noticed a noise in the hallway.
Use sentir-se to describe your state
Sentir-se + adjective describes a person’s state or emotion: sinto-me cansado or me sinto cansado (I feel tired). In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, the pronoun commonly comes before the verb: me sinto bem.
Not every English ‘feel’ sentence needs sentir-se. For a sensation such as cold, Brazilian speakers commonly say estou com frio. Learn each frequent pattern in context.
Hoje eu me sinto mais confiante.
Today I feel more confident.
Depois da caminhada, ela se sentiu cansada.
After the walk, she felt tired.
Como você está se sentindo?
How are you feeling?
Put it into practice
Sentir often takes what you feel as its object: sentir medo. Sentir-se describes someone’s state: me sinto confiante. Some sensations use patterns such as estar com frio.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I feel cold when it rains”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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