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ITALIAN VERB

sentire

to hear, to feel

  • #21 most used
  • Regular -ire verb
  • Past participle: sentito
  • Gerund: sentendo

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I hear
  2. tu you hear
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she hears
  4. noi we hear
  5. voi you all hear
  6. loro they hear

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I heard
  2. tu you heard
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she heard
  4. noi we heard
  5. voi you all heard
  6. loro they heard

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to hear
  2. tu you used to hear
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to hear
  4. noi we used to hear
  5. voi you all used to hear
  6. loro they used to hear

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will hear
  2. tu you will hear
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will hear
  4. noi we will hear
  5. voi you all will hear
  6. loro they will hear

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would hear
  2. tu you would hear
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would hear
  4. noi we would hear
  5. voi you all would hear
  6. loro they would hear

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I hear
  2. tu (that) you hear
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she hear
  4. noi (that) we hear
  5. voi (that) you all hear
  6. loro (that) they hear

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu hear!
  2. Lei hear! (formal)
  3. noi hear! (let’s)
  4. voi hear! (all of you)

How to use sentire

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Scusa, non ti sento, c'è troppo rumore qui.

    Sorry, I can't hear you, it's too noisy here.

  2. Past

    Hai sentito che Luca si sposa a giugno?

    Did you hear that Luca is getting married in June?

  3. Imperfect

    Da bambina sentivo sempre il mare dalla finestra.

    As a child I could always hear the sea from the window.

  4. Future

    Sentirai la differenza dopo una settimana di riposo.

    You'll feel the difference after a week of rest.

  5. Conditional

    Sentirei volentieri il parere di un medico.

    I'd gladly hear a doctor's opinion.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Spero che tu senta meno dolore domani.

    I hope you feel less pain tomorrow.

  7. Imperative

    Senti, ci vediamo domani alle nove?

    Listen, shall we meet tomorrow at nine?

Good to know

  • Sentire covers hearing and feeling alike: non ti sento, senti che freddo.
  • Sentirsi is how you feel: mi sento bene, come ti senti?

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -ire verb.