French · conjugation
Sentir conjugation
Sentir means to smell (perceive an odour). In compound tenses it takes avoir. Its three key forms in the present are je sens, nous sentons and ils sentent, and its past participle is senti.
The tenses you need first
Bold marks the ending. Greyed letters are written and not pronounced. A tie marks a liaison, with the sound you hear under it.
Présentpresent
What is happening now, habits and general truths.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | je sens | nous sentons |
| 2nd | tu sens | vous sentez |
| 3rd | il sent | ils sentent |
In a sentence
- Tu sens le pain chaud depuis la rue ?Do you smell the warm bread from the street?
- Elle sent le vent froid sur son visage.She feels the cold wind on her face.
Passé composépast, completed
A finished action: what happened. The auxiliary in the present, then the past participle.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | j'ai senti | nous avons senti |
| 2nd | tu as senti | vous avez senti |
| 3rd | il a senti | ils ont senti |
In a sentence
- J'ai senti l'odeur du café dans la cuisine.I smelled the scent of coffee in the kitchen.
Imparfaitpast, ongoing
What was going on, what used to happen, descriptions in the past.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | je sentais | nous sentions |
| 2nd | tu sentais | vous sentiez |
| 3rd | il sentait | ils sentaient |
In a sentence
- Pendant les vacances, nous sentions le soleil sur notre peau.During the holidays, we felt the sun on our skin.
Futur simplefuture
What will happen.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | je sentirai | nous sentirons |
| 2nd | tu sentiras | vous sentirez |
| 3rd | il sentira | ils sentiront |
In a sentence
- Demain, les enfants sentiront le bon gâteau de leur grand-mère.Tomorrow the children will smell their grandmother's good cake.
Futur prochenear future
What is going to happen: the verb for to go in the present, then the infinitive.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | je vais sentir | nous allons sentir |
| 2nd | tu vas sentir | vous allez sentir |
| 3rd | il va sentir | ils vont sentir |
Conditionnel présentconditional
What would happen, and polite requests.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | je sentirais | nous sentirions |
| 2nd | tu sentirais | vous sentiriez |
| 3rd | il sentirait | ils sentiraient |
Subjonctif présentsubjunctive
After expressions of necessity, wish or doubt.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | que je sente | que nous sentions |
| 2nd | que tu sentes | que vous sentiez |
| 3rd | qu'il sente | qu'ils sentent |
Impératif présentimperative
Orders, instructions and invitations.
| to one person | let's | to several people, or formal |
|---|---|---|
| sens | sentons | sentez |
In a sentence
- Sentez cette fleur, elle a un parfum très agréable.Smell this flower, it has a very pleasant scent.
Every other tense
The literary and compound tenses, for reading and for reference.
17 · Plus-que-parfait, Passé simple, Passé antérieur …
Plus-que-parfaitpluperfect
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | j'avais senti | nous avions senti |
| 2nd | tu avais senti | vous aviez senti |
| 3rd | il avait senti | ils avaient senti |
Passé simple
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | je sentis | nous sentîmes |
| 2nd | tu sentis | vous sentîtes |
| 3rd | il sentit | ils sentirent |
Passé antérieur
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | j'eus senti | nous eûmes senti |
| 2nd | tu eus senti | vous eûtes senti |
| 3rd | il eut senti | ils eurent senti |
Futur antérieur
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | j'aurai senti | nous aurons senti |
| 2nd | tu auras senti | vous aurez senti |
| 3rd | il aura senti | ils auront senti |
Subjonctif passé
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | que j'aie senti | que nous ayons senti |
| 2nd | que tu aies senti | que vous ayez senti |
| 3rd | qu'il ait senti | qu'ils aient senti |
Subjonctif imparfait
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | que je sentisse | que nous sentissions |
| 2nd | que tu sentisses | que vous sentissiez |
| 3rd | qu'il sentît | qu'ils sentissent |
Subjonctif plus-que-parfait
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | que j'eusse senti | que nous eussions senti |
| 2nd | que tu eusses senti | que vous eussiez senti |
| 3rd | qu'il eût senti | qu'ils eussent senti |
Conditionnel passé première forme
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | j'aurais senti | nous aurions senti |
| 2nd | tu aurais senti | vous auriez senti |
| 3rd | il aurait senti | ils auraient senti |
Conditionnel passé deuxième forme
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | j'eusse senti | nous eussions senti |
| 2nd | tu eusses senti | vous eussiez senti |
| 3rd | il eût senti | ils eussent senti |
Impératif passé
| to one person | let's | to several people, or formal |
|---|---|---|
| aie senti | ayons senti | ayez senti |
Passé récent
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | je viens de sentir | nous venons de sentir |
| 2nd | tu viens de sentir | vous venez de sentir |
| 3rd | il vient de sentir | ils viennent de sentir |
Infinitif présent
sentir
Infinitif passé
avoir senti
Participe présent
sentant
Participe passé
sentisentiesentissentiesayant senti
Gérondif présent
en sentant
Gérondif passé
en ayant senti
Questions people ask
- What is the past participle of sentir?
- Senti. In compound tenses it follows the auxiliary avoir: j'ai senti.
- Which auxiliary does sentir take?
- Avoir: j'ai senti, tu as senti, il a senti.
- How do you conjugate sentir in the present tense?
- je sens, tu sens, il sent, nous sentons, vous sentez, ils sentent.
- What is the subjunctive of sentir?
- que je sente, que tu sentes, qu'il sente, que nous sentions, que vous sentiez, qu'ils sentent.
More French verbs
Each one with its full table, its auxiliary and real sentences.
- acheterto buy
- aimerto love
- allerto go
- apprendreto learn
- attendreto wait
- avoirto have
- boireto drink
- choisirto choose
- comprendreto understand
- conduireto drive
- connaîtreto know
- courirto run
- croireto believe
- devenirto become
- devoirmust
- direto say or tell something to someone
- dormirto sleep
- écrireto write
- embrasserto kiss
- envoyerto send
- êtreto be
- étudierto study something
- faireto do
- falloirto be necessary
- finirto finish
- jouerto play
- lireto read
- mangerto eat
- mettreto put
- ouvrirto open
- parlerto speak
- partirto leave
- perdreto lose
- pouvoircan
- préférerto prefer
- prendreto take
- recevoirto receive
- rendreto give something back
- réussirto succeed
- s'asseoirto sit down
- savoirto know
- servirto serve
- sortirto go out
- suivreto follow
- tenirto hold
- vendreto sell
- venirto come
- vivreto live
- voirto see
- vouloirto want
Learn these verbs inside real sentences
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