{"id":6703,"date":"2014-07-30T08:57:21","date_gmt":"2014-07-30T08:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=6703"},"modified":"2014-07-30T16:34:37","modified_gmt":"2014-07-30T16:34:37","slug":"the-verb-sentire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/the-verb-sentire\/","title":{"rendered":"The Verb Sentire"},"content":{"rendered":"

The verb sentire<\/strong> can be quite confusing due to its wide variety of meanings.<\/p>\n

1. sentire<\/strong> literally means \u2018to sense\u2019, and is used to describe four of the five senses: l\u2019udito<\/strong> (hearing), il tatto<\/strong> (touch), il gusto<\/strong> (taste), and l\u2019olfatto <\/strong>(smell). When used to describe perceptions its definition is contextual, as can be seen in the examples below:
\nho sentito un rumore<\/strong> = I heard a noise;
\nsenti com\u2019\u00e8 morbida questa stoffa<\/strong> = feel how soft this fabric is;
\nfammi sentire quel formaggio<\/strong> = let me taste that cheese;
\nsi sente il profumo del gelsomino entrare dalla finestra<\/strong> = you can smell the scent of the jasmine coming in through the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"100_5964\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

\u201csi sente il profumo del gelsomino entrare dalla finestra\u201d<\/strong> Photo: Geoff Chamberlain 2013\u00a9<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

However, hearing is the sense most commonly described by the verb sentire<\/strong> even though udire<\/strong> (to hear) is more technically correct:
\npronto, mi senti?<\/strong> = hello, can you hear me?
\nnon sento molto bene<\/strong> = I can\u2019t hear very well
\nsentiamo cosa ha da dire<\/strong> = let\u2019s hear what he has got to say
\nci sentiamo domani<\/strong> = we\u2019ll get in touch tomorrow (literally: we\u2019ll hear from each other tomorrow)<\/p>\n

sentire<\/strong>, with the meaning of \u2018to feel\u2019,\u00a0 is also used to describe physical sensations:
\nsento freddo<\/strong> = I\u2019m feeling cold
\nnon senti caldo con quel maglione?<\/strong> = don\u2019t you feel hot with that jumper on?
\nsento un languorino allo stomaco<\/strong> = I feel a bit peckish (literally: I feel a little emptiness to the stomach)
\nsentiamo la stanchezza del viaggio<\/strong> = we\u2019re feeling tired from the journey (literally: we feel the tiredness from the journey)<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s sentirsi<\/strong>, reflexive form of sentire<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

2. sentirsi<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>also describes how we feel. However, whereas sentire<\/strong> puts the emphasis on an external stimulus and is normally constructed with a direct object<\/span> (sento la stanchezza<\/span><\/strong> = I feel the tiredness<\/span>), sentirsi<\/strong> describes the action of listening to your own body or emotions and tends to be built with adjectives<\/span> or adverbs<\/span> (mi sento stanca<\/span><\/strong> = I feel tired<\/span>). Here are some more examples of its use:
\nstamattina mi sento bene <\/strong>= this morning I feel well
\nLucia non \u00e8 venuta perch\u00e9 si sentiva stanca<\/strong> = Lucia didn\u2019t come because she was feeling tired
\nCiao, come ti senti oggi?<\/strong> = Hi, how are you feeling today?
\nmi sento proprio un idiota <\/strong>= I feel like a total idiot<\/p>\n

\"idioti\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally we have sentirsela<\/strong> and sentirselo<\/strong>, which belong to a group of verbs called \u2018verbi pronominali\u2019 <\/strong>in which one or more pronouns attach themselves to the verb giving it a new meaning:<\/p>\n

3. sentirsela <\/strong>is a colloquial form of sentirsi<\/strong> meaning \u2018to feel like it\u2019, \u2018to feel up to it\u2019. Here, the pronoun \u2018la\u2019<\/strong> becomes part of the verb and doesn\u2019t have any real meaning:
\nte la senti di andare a fare due passi?<\/strong> = do you feel like going for a stroll?
\nnon me la sono sentita di parlargli<\/strong> = I didn\u2019t feel like talking to him
\nGiorgio non se la sente di venire<\/strong> = Giorgio doesn\u2019t feel up to coming<\/p>\n

4. sentirselo<\/strong>, constructed with \u2018lo\u2019<\/strong> instead of \u2018la\u2019<\/strong>, means \u2018to have a premonition\u2019:
\nme lo sentivo che avrei vinto<\/strong> = I knew I would win (literally: I had the premonition I would win)
\nGianna se lo sentiva che non avrebbe passato l\u2019esame<\/strong> = Gianna knew she wouldn\u2019t pass the test
\nandr\u00e0 tutto bene, me lo sento!<\/strong> = everything will be fine, I know it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

The verb sentire can be quite confusing due to its wide variety of meanings. 1. sentire literally means \u2018to sense\u2019, and is used to describe four of the five senses: l\u2019udito (hearing), il tatto (touch), il gusto (taste), and l\u2019olfatto (smell). When used to describe perceptions its definition is contextual, as can be seen in…<\/p>\n

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