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sentir at B2 — the subjunctive

« sentir » — jump to your level:A1A2B1B2C1C2Native

A second verb for deeper feeling.

Sentir or ressentir?

Ressentir is for emotions and deep sensations: « ressentir de la joie », « ressentir une douleur ». Sentir is more surface and more physical. Using ressentir where a native would say sentir sounds overwrought; the reverse sounds flat.

Sentir que takes the indicative, because it asserts an intuition: « je sens que ça va marcher ». It is the verb of gut feeling, and very common before a decision.

💡 Focus at this level: ressentir & sentir que

👨‍🏫 How to use « sentir » at this level

1. Ressentir for emotions and pain.

2. Sentir que + indicative. An intuition is still an assertion.

3. « Je sens que… » predicts. Often used just before being right.

Je sens que ça va marcher.I feel this is going to work.
Elle a ressenti une vive douleur.She felt a sharp pain.
Il ressent de la colère.He feels anger.
Il faut que tu sentes la différence.You need to feel the difference.
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