sentir at A1 — the present tense (smell AND feel)
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One verb for smelling and feeling, with a stem that shrinks.
Smelling and feeling
sentir follows the partir pattern: the singular loses the final consonant of the stem. Je sens, tu sens, il sent — but nous sentons, vous sentez, ils sentent. The t disappears in the singular and comes back in the plural.
The same verb covers smelling and feeling. « Je sens une odeur » — I smell a smell. « Ça sent bon » — that smells good. French does not separate the two the way English does.
💡 Focus at this level: Basics — the partir pattern
👨🏫 How to use « sentir » at this level
1. Singular drops the t. je sens, not « je sentis ».
2. Same family as partir, dormir, servir, mentir.
3. « Ça sent bon ! » is the phrase you will use most.
Ça sent bon !That smells good!
Je sens une odeur bizarre.I smell a strange smell.
Tu sens le parfum ?Can you smell the perfume?
Nous sentons le froid.We feel the cold.
🎮 Practise « sentir »
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