Sentir vs. sentir-se
The Portuguese verbs sentir and sentir-se both relate to the concept of to feel, but they are not interchangeable. The key difference lies in what is being felt: sentir is used to express feeling a direct object (a sensation, an emotion, a thing), while the reflexive sentir-se describes one's own internal state or condition.
Sentir
A1Sentir is a transitive verb used when you feel *something* specific. This something can be a physical sensation, a direct perception through the senses, an emotion directed at something, or an intuition. It always requires a direct object, answering the question feel what?.
Eu sinto o calor do sol na minha pele.
(I feel the heat of the sun on my skin.)
Ela sentiu uma dor forte no braço.
(She felt a sharp pain in her arm.)
Nós sentimos o cheiro de bolo vindo da cozinha.
(We smell the scent of cake coming from the kitchen.)
Você sentiu o chão tremer?
(Did you feel the ground shake?)
Ele sente muita falta da sua família.
(He deeply misses his family.)
Sinto que algo bom vai acontecer hoje.
(I feel that something good is going to happen today.)
Sinto muito pelo seu problema.
(I am very sorry about your problem.)
Sentir-se
A2Sentir-se is a reflexive verb that describes *how* a person feels. It focuses on the subject's internal emotional or physical state or condition. It is typically followed by an adjective or an adverb that describes this state, answering the question feel how?.
Hoje eu me sinto muito cansado.
(Today I feel very tired.)
Ela se sentiu feliz com a notícia.
(She felt happy with the news.)
Como você se sente esta manhã?
(How do you feel this morning?)
Eles se sentiram ofendidos com a piada.
(They felt offended by the joke.)
Nós nos sentimos em casa neste lugar.
(We feel at home in this place.)
Ele se sentiu mal depois de comer tanto.
(He felt sick after eating so much.)
Ela se sente insegura ao falar em público.
(She feels insecure when speaking in public.)
Summary
In essence, use sentir when you are feeling a direct object, like a noun or a sensation (e.g., sinto frio - I feel cold). Use sentir-se when you are describing your own state with an adjective or adverb (e.g., me sinto cansado - I feel tired). Think of it as to feel something (sentir) versus to feel a certain way (sentir-se).