Written by Federica in Italian language, Italian verbs
The Italian verb sentire translates into English as to hear and, more rarely, to listen. Sentire also means to feel (any physical sensation such as temperature, smell or pain, but also feelings). Sentire is a regular verb belonging to the Italian third conjugation, where the infinitive form ends in -ire.
Sentire is a versatile verb which can take several meanings, and so can be useful in a number of ways for your learning of Italian. Keep reading to find out more on its conjugation and usage.
Note that the Italian examples in this article may use sentire in any one of its different meanings.
Present indicative conjugation of sentire (indicativo presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the present indicative tense.
| Sentire in the present indicative (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the present indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io sento | I hear |
| Tu senti | You hear |
| Lui/ lei sente | He/ she hears |
| Noi sentiamo | We hear |
| Voi sentite | You (pl) hear |
| Loro sentono | They hear |
Sentire in the present tense is used to talk about things that you hear or feel right now or that you will, with certainty, hear or feel in the future.
Use sentire in the present tense:
- To talk about what you hear right now
- Mi senti bene? (can you hear me well?)
- To talk about what you feel right now, whether physical or emotional
- Non mi sento molto ansiosa (I don’t feel very nervous)
- To talk about something you will hear or listen to in the future
- Domani sentiamo un concerto nella cattedrale (tomorrow we’ll listen to a concert in the cathedral)
Present perfect indicative conjugation of sentire (passato prossimo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the present perfect indicative tense.
| Sentire in the present perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the present perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io ho sentito | I have heard |
| Tu hai sentito | You have heard |
| Lui/ lei ha sentito | He/ she has heard |
| Noi abbiamo sentito | We have heard |
| Voi avete sentito | You (pl.) have heard |
| Loro hanno sentito | They have heard |
Should I use an essere or avere auxiliary with sentire?
To form the present perfect tense in Italian, you need to know whether to use the essere or avere auxiliary.
The verb sentire takes the avere auxiliary because it is a transitive verb, that is, a verb which takes a direct object. In its reflexive form, however, sentire takes the essere auxiliary.
One good example of sentire used in its reflexive form in the present perfect tense is when you are expressing how you feel: mi sono sentito bene (I felt well). This translates literally to “I felt myself well”.
How to use the present perfect tense of sentire
The present perfect tense of sentire is used to talk about hearing, listening to, or feeling something, physical or emotional, at a certain point in the past. By using the present perfect tense, you emphasise a particular moment in the past, rather than a continuous or ongoing action.
Use the Italian verb sentire in the present perfect tense:
- To talk about when you heard, or listened to, something
- Hai sentito i fuochi d’ artificio la notte scorsa? (did you hear the fireworks last night? )
- To talk about when you felt something, physical or emotional
- Ha detto che durante l’operazione non ha sentito niente (he/she said that during the operation he/ she did not feel anything)
Imperfect indicative conjugation of sentire (imperfetto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the imperfect indicative tense.
| Sentire in the imperfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the imperfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io sentivo | I heard | I used to hear |
| Tu sentivi | You heard | You used to hear |
| Lui/ lei sentiva | He/she heard | He/she used to hear |
| Noi sentivamo | We heard | We used to hear |
| Voi sentivate | You (pl.) heard | You used to hear |
| Loro sentivano | They heard | They used to hear |
The Italian verb sentire in the imperfect tense is used to talk about things that you used to hear or listen to, or felt, over a period of time or routinely in the past.
Use sentire in the imperfect tense:
- To talk about things that you heard or listened to regularly or repeatedly in the past
- Mio nonno sentiva spesso la musica classica mentre lavorava (my grandad often used to listen to classical music while he was working)
- To talk about things you used to feel, whether physical or emotional
- Come ti sentivi a dovere gestire una situazione così difficile? (how did you feel having to manage such a difficult situation?)
Past perfect indicative conjugation of sentire (trapassato prossimo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the past perfect indicative tense.
| Sentire in the past perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the past perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io avevo sentito | I had heard |
| Tu avevi sentito | You had heard |
| Lui/ lei aveva sentito | He/ she had heard |
| Noi avevamo sentito | We had heard |
| Voi avevate sentito | You had heard |
| Loro avevano sentito | They had heard |
Use sentire in the past perfect tense to set the action of hearing, listening to, or feeling something further back in the past than another event in the sentence:
- To talk about something you heard or felt before a certain event which happened in the past
- Ieri mattina si era sentito male e quindi ha deciso di non andare al lavoro (yesterday morning he had felt ill and so he decided not to go to work)
Remote past indicative conjugation of sentire (passato remoto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the remote past indicative tense.
| Sentire in the remote past indicative (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the remote past indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io sentii | I heard |
| Tu sentisti | You heard |
| Lui/ lei sentì | He/ she heard |
| Noi sentimmo | We heard |
| Voi sentiste | You (pl.) heard |
| Loro sentirono | They heard |
The remote past indicative of sentire is most likely to be found in written language, such as novels, articles or essays. This tense is mostly used to talk about facts in history or as part of a story.
Use the remote past tense of sentire:
- To describe hearing, listening to something, or feeling something, physical or emotional, as part of history or within a story
- Quando le dettero la notizia, si sentì subito meglio (when they gave her the news, she felt better straight away)
Preterite perfect indicative conjugation of sentire (trapassato remoto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the preterite perfect indicative tense.
| Sentire in the preterite perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the preterite perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io ebbi sentito | I had heard |
| Tu avesti sentito | You had heard |
| Lui/ lei ebbe sentito | He/ she had heard |
| Noi avemmo sentito | We had heard |
| Voi aveste sentito | You (pl.) had heard |
| Loro ebbero sentito | They had heard |
The preterite perfect tense of sentire is most likely to be found in written language such as novels, articles and essays, and is rarely used in spoken Italian today. The Italian preterite perfect is used to set an action further back in the past than another action in the remote past.
Use the preterite perfect indicative of sentire:
- To describe hearing, listening to something, or feeling something, physical or emotional, prior to other actions in the sentence which are in the remote past
- Dopo che ebbe sentito le notizie alla radio, raccontò a tutti gli altri cosa era successo (after she had listened to the news on the radio, she told all the others what had happened)
Simple future indicative conjugation of sentire (futuro semplice)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the simple future indicative tense.
| Sentire in the simple future indicative (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the simple future indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io sentirò | I will hear |
| Tu sentirai | You will hear |
| Lui/ lei sentirà | He/ she will hear |
| Noi sentiremo | We will hear |
| Voi sentirete | You (pl.) will hear |
| Loro sentiranno | They will hear |
The simple future tense of the verb sentire in Italian is used to describe the action of hearing, listening to something, or feeling something, physical or emotional, with certainty in the future.
Use the simple future tense of sentire:
- To talk about things that you will hear, or listen to, in the near or distant future
- In questa casa sentirete suonare le campane della chiesa qui vicino a tutte le ore della giornata (in this house you’ll hear the bells of the church near here ringing at every hour of the day)
- To talk about physical or emotional things that you will feel in the near or distant future
- In montagna sentirete molto freddo (you’ll feel very cold in the mountains)
- To make a hypothesis or guess about hearing or feeling something. This best translates into English as “must hear/ feel”.
- Adesso che hai passato l’ esame ti sentirai meglio almeno (now that you’ve passed the exam you must feel better at least)
Future perfect indicative conjugation of sentire (futuro anteriore)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the future perfect indicative tense.
| Sentire in the future perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the future perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io avrò sentito | I will have heard |
| Tu avrai sentito | You will have heard |
| Lui/ lei avrà sentito | He/ she will have heard |
| Noi avremo sentito | We will have heard |
| Voi avrete sentito | You (pl.) will have heard |
| Loro avranno sentito | They will have heard |
The future perfect tense of sentire in Italian is used when the future action of hearing, listening to, or feeling something, will happen before other future actions or events.
Use sentire in the future perfect:
- To talk about a future action of hearing, listening to, or feeling something before another action in the future.
- Per questa sera avrò sentito quello che hanno da dire (By this evening, I’ll have heard what they have to say). Note that, although there is only one verb in this sentence, the situation is seen from the future point of view of “this evening” and, from that point of view, “avrò sentito” is in the past.
Present conditional conjugation of sentire (condizionale presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the present conditional tense.
| Sentire in the present conditional tense (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the present conditional tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io sentirei | I would hear |
| Tu sentiresti | You would hear |
| Lui/ lei sentirebbe | He/ she would hear |
| Noi sentiremmo | We would hear |
| Voi sentireste | You would hear |
| Loro sentirebbero | They would hear |
Use the present conditional tense of sentire in Italian to express the possibility of hearing or feeling something and to make if clauses. In Italian if clauses, the present conditional tense is used in combination with the present subjunctive.
You can use the present conditional tense of sentire:
- To make a hypothetical sentence about hearing or feeling something
- Se avesse un condizionatore, non sentirebbe tutto questo caldo durante l’ estate (if he/ she had air conditioning, he/ she wouldn’t feel so hot during the summer)
- To ask a polite question or make a polite statement about hearing or feeling something. The politeness comes from phrasing your sentence as a possibility
- Sentiresti se hanno delle batterie di questo tipo? (would you see if they have any batteries of this type?) Note, this sentence could have also used the verb vedresti (would you see). However, the verb sentire is widely used in situations like this to mean “would you hear from them“.
Past perfect conditional conjugation of sentire (condizionale passato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the past perfect conditional tense.
| Sentire in the past perfect conditional tense (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the past perfect conditional tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io avrei sentito | I would have heard |
| Tu avresti sentito | You would have heard |
| Lui/ lei avrebbe sentito | He/ she would have heard |
| Noi avremmo sentito | We would have heard |
| Voi avreste sentito | You would have heard |
| Loro avrebbero sentito | They would have heard |
You can use the past perfect conditional tense of sentire in Italian to describe something you would have heard or felt in the past, or to make if clauses. For if clauses in the past, the past perfect conditional tense is used in combination with the past perfect subjunctive.
Here is how you can use the past perfect conditional tense of sentire:
- To talk about the past possibility of hearing or feeling something
- Se non avessi avuto le cuffie, avrei sentito il campanello (if I wasn’t wearing headphones, I would have heard the doorbell)
- To indicate hearing or feeling something in the future within a sentence in the past
- Sapevamo che avrebbero sentito la mancanza dei loro genitori (we knew that they would have missed their parents) – Here the past perfect avrebbero sentito indicates an action in the future from the perspective of sapevamo.
Imperative conjugation of sentire (imperativo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the imperative mood.
| Sentire in the imperative mood (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the imperative mood (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Tu) senti | Hear/ Listen |
| (Noi) sentiamo | Let’s hear / Let’s listen |
| (Voi) sentite | Hear / Listen (pl) |
You can use the imperative mood of the verb sentire in Italian to make an invitation (“let’s” in English) or give an order.
For example:
- To invite someone to listen to something or feel something
- Senti cosa hanno da dire (listen to what they have to say)
Present and past infinitive conjugation of sentire (infinito presente e passato)
The table below shows the infinitive form of the verb sentire in the present and past tense.
| Sentire in the infinitive mood, past and present tense (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the infinitive mood, past and present tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Sentire | To hear / hearing |
| Avere sentito | Having heard |
The infinitive form of the verb sentire in Italian, both past and present tense, can be used:
- To indicate whether you like or don’t like hearing or feeling something (after the verb “mi piace”)
- Mi piace sentire i vostri podcast (I like hearing your podcasts)
- After a verb-preposition combination which requires to be followed by a verb in the infinitive form, such as cercare di…, provare a…, riuscire a… etc.
- Non riesco a sentire cosa dicono (I can’t hear what they’re saying)
- After a verb which requires to be followed by a verb in the infinitive form, such as “voglio”, “posso”, “devo”
- Voglio sentire cosa dicono (I want to hear what they’re saying)
- In general, as the subject or object of a sentence
- Trovo che sentire il rumore della pioggia è rilassante (I find that listening to the sound of the rain is relaxing)
Past participle tense of sentire (participio passato)
The past participle tense of sentire is sentito. This is used in conjunction with the auxiliary avere to form the present perfect tense:
For example:
- Hai sentito niente? (have you heard anything?)
The present participle tense of sentire is senziente. This means “aware”, “conscious” or “wise”.
For example:
- È una ragazza senziente, quindi non ha bisogno di questi consigli inutili (she is a wise girl, so she doesn’t need this useless advice)
Present and past gerund conjugation of sentire (gerundio presente e passato)
The table below shows the gerund mood of the Italian verb sentire in the present and past tense forms.
| Sentire in the present and past gerund (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the present and past gerund (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Sentendo | Hearing |
| Avendo sentito | Having heard |
Sentire in the present and past tense are used to talk about things you hear or feel right now or in this period of time (preceded by the verb “stare”), or to express causality in a sentence.
Use the gerund of sentire:
- To talk about hearing or feeling something right now or in this period of time
- In questo periodo sto sentendo molte interviste interessanti (these days I’m listening to many interesting interviews)
- In a phrase that is connected to another phrase and expresses causality
- Sentendosi male, non hanno lavorato tanto come al solito (as they feel / have felt ill, they haven’t worked as much as usual)
Present subjunctive conjugation of sentire (congiuntivo presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the present subjunctive tense.
| Sentire in the present subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the present subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io senta | (That) I hear |
| (Che) tu senta | (That) you hear |
| (Che) lui/ lei senta | (That) he/she hear |
| (Che) noi sentiamo | (That) we hear |
| (Che) voi sentiate | (That) you (pl.) hear |
| (Che) loro sentano | (That) they hear |
The present tense subjunctive of sentire is used within a dependent clause that contains an action in the present or future. This can often be introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), so, if you start a dependent clause with “che” or “perchè”, it’s likely that, within it, you might need to use the subjunctive.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, non vorrei che tu ti senta male (I wouldn’t want you to feel ill).
To be grammatically correct in Italian, there are several cases where use of the subjunctive is needed. If you are learning Italian, it can be tricky to understand when to use the subjunctive. It might be helpful to bear in mind, however, that more and more Italians now choose to not use the subjunctive in spoken informal Italian, and limit it to writing or more formal situations.
Use the present subjunctive of sentire:
- To talk about hearing or feeling something something within a dependent clause
- Non so perchè non sentano il parere di un medico ( don’t know why they don’t hear the opinion of a doctor).
Note that the verb sentire doesn’t necessarily mean “to hear” in a literal sense in this sentence. In fact, it instead conveys the idea of “seeking the opinion of a doctor” or “consulting a doctor”.
Present perfect subjunctive conjugation of sentire (congiuntivo passato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the present perfect subjunctive tense.
| Sentire in the perfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the perfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io abbia sentito | (That) I heard / have heard |
| (Che) tu abbia sentito | (That) you heard / have heard |
| (Che) lui/ lei abbia sentito | (That) he/she heard / have heard |
| (Che) noi abbiamo sentito | (That) we heard / have heard |
| (Che) voi abbiate sentito | (That) you (pl.) heard / have heard |
| (Che) loro abbiano sentito | (That) they heard / have heard |
The present perfect subjunctive of sentire is used within a dependent clause which contains a past action. This can often be introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), so, if you start a dependent clause with “che” or “perchè”, it’s likely that, within it, you might need to use the subjunctive mode.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, non vorrei che lui si sia sentito male (I hope he didn’t feel ill).
Use the present perfect subjunctive of sentire:
- To talk about hearing or feeling something within a dependent clause which contains a past action
- Mi dispiace che ti sia sentito così male (I’m sorry that you’ve felt so ill)
Note: in today’s spoken Italian, many might choose to use the present perfect indicative instead of the subjunctive: “Mi dispiace che ti sei sentito così male“.
Imperfect subjunctive conjugation of sentire (congiuntivo imperfetto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the imperfect subjunctive tense.
| Sentire in the imperfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the imperfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io sentissi | (That) I would hear |
| (Che) tu sentissi | (That) you would hear |
| (Che) lui/ lei sentisse | (That) he/ she would hear |
| (Che) noi sentissimo | (That) we would hear |
| (Che) voi sentiste | (That) you (pl.) would hear |
| (Che) loro sentissero | (That) they would hear |
The imperfect subjunctive of sentire is used within a dependent clause when the action of the main clause is in the past. This is often introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because). A second use of the imperfect subjunctive is to make the first part of an if clause.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, non vorrei che tu ti sentissi male (I wouldn’t want you to feel ill).
Use the imperfect subjunctive of sentire:
- To talk about hearing or feeling something within a dependent clause when the main clause is in the past
- Non volevo che tu ti sentissi male (I didn’t want you to feel ill)
In today’s spoken Italian, many might not use the subjunctive in this case, and use the imperfect tense in both the main and dependent sentences: “Non volevo che tu ti sentivi male”.
- To make a hypothesis about hearing or feeling something
- Se non mi sentissi male, verrei con voi (if I didn’t feel ill, I’d come with you).
In today’s spoken Italian, many might choose to put both parts of the if clause in the imperfect tense: “Se non mi sentivo male, venivo con voi”. Although this wouldn’t hinder someone’s understanding of this sentence, the tense usage is grammatically incorrect.
Past perfect subjunctive conjugation of sentire (congiuntivo trapassato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb sentire in the past perfect subjunctive tense.
| Sentire in the past perfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Sentire in the past perfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io avessi sentito | (That) I had heard |
| (Che) tu avessi sentito | (That) you had heard |
| (Che) lui/ lei avesse sentito | (That) he/ she had heard |
| (Che) noi avessimo sentito | (That) we had heard |
| (Che) voi aveste sentito | (That) you (pl.) had heard |
| (Che) loro avessero sentito | (That) they had heard |
The past perfect subjunctive of sentire is used within a dependent clause, often introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), when both the main clause and the dependent clause are in the past. A second use of the past perfect subjunctive is to make the first part of an if clause placed in the past.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che non ti fossi sentito male (I wish you hadn’t felt ill).
Use the past perfect subjunctive of sentire in Italian:
- To talk about hearing or feeling something within a dependent sentence when both the main and dependent clauses are in the past
- Pensavo che mi avessi sentito arrivare (I thought you’d heard me coming)
Note: in today’s spoken Italian, many might choose to use the past perfect tense in the dependent clause “Pensavo che mi avevi sentito arrivare“. Although this swap is grammatically incorrect, it is commonly used in today’s spoken Italian, and does not sound “wrong” to a native ear.
Usage of the verb sentire
The verb sentire is used to talk about feeling a sensation and, in this sense, it can be used in a similar way to avere to express hunger, temperature or tiredness.
For example:
- Sento fame (I’m feeling hungry)
- Sento sete (I’m feeling thirsty)
- Sento caldo (I’m feeling hot/ warm)
- Sento freddo (I’m feeling cold)
- Sento paura (I’m feeling afraid)
- Sento sonno (I’m feeling tired)
In terms of the difference between avere and sentire, avere sounds more matter of fact, whilst sentire sounds more emotional. This distinction also exists in English and it’s the distinction between “being hungry” and “feeling hungry”.
Sentire to express “feeling like something” or “feeling up to something”
The verb sentirsi + di means to “feel like something”, or to “feel up to something”. Note that, in this case, we use sentire in the reflexive form.
For example:
- Non mi sento di fare niente (I don’t feel like doing anything)
- Non me la sento di uscire (I don’t feel like going out)
- Non me la sono sentita di dirglielo (I didn’t have the heart to tell him)
Note that the last two examples also feature the particle la within the sentence. This is not translated into English and its function is to add emphasis to what you are saying.
Final thoughts on the verb sentire
Sentire is a great verb, because of its different meanings and the way it can be used to convey not only hearing or listening, but also a wide range of sensations and feelings, as well as getting opinions (for example senti il professore – see what the professor says).
The conjugation of sentire is probably hardest in the subjunctive mood so, if you are learning Italian, I would suggest leaving this last, until you feel that you master all the other conjugations.
