Feeling a certain way? In French, the verb "sentir" (or "ressentir") is the most direct translation for "to feel." But just like in English, there are many nuances to how we express our emotions and physical sensations.

Learning these different expressions will not only enrich your vocabulary but also help you connect more deeply when speaking French.

Let's dive into 9 different ways to say "to feel" in French, covering everything from physical sensations to profound emotions!

The general 'to feel' (about oneself or a state) – se sentir

When you want to express how you feel – whether physically or emotionally – the go-to French verb is se sentir. This versatile reflexive verb is essential for talking about your personal state.

Se sentir is a verbe pronominal (reflexive verb), which means it always includes a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) that agrees with the subject. This 'se' indicates that the action of feeling is directed back to the subject itself.

You'll use se sentir to describe physical sensations or health. For example, if you're feeling tired, sick, or well, this is the verb you need. It directly translates to 'to feel oneself' in this context.

Beyond the physical, se sentir is also used to articulate your emotional and mental states. Whether you're feeling happy, sad, stressed, or relieved, this verb allows you to express your inner sentiments.

Like most reflexive verbs, se sentir conjugates similarly to its non-reflexive counterpart, sentir (to smell/to feel something), but with the added reflexive pronoun. It follows the pattern of regular -IR verbs for its stem changes in the present tense (je sens, tu sens, il/elle/on sent, nous sentons, vous sentez, ils/elles sentent).

Se sentir is frequently followed by an adjective or an adverb to specify the feeling. Common examples include: bien (well), mal (bad), fatigué(e) (tired), heureux(euse) (happy), triste (sad), stressé(e) (stressed).

It's crucial not to confuse se sentir with the non-reflexive verb sentir. While sentir can mean 'to smell' (e.g., Je sens la fleur - I smell the flower) or 'to feel' (an object, a sensation outside oneself, e.g., Je sens le froid - I feel the cold), se sentir specifically refers to how you feel about yourself.

💡 * Je me sens bien aujourd'hui. (I feel good today.)

• Elle se sent fatiguée après le travail. (She feels tired after work.)
• Vous vous sentez mieux maintenant? (Do you feel better now?)
• Nous nous sentons heureux de vous voir. (We feel happy to see you.)
• Il se sent un peu triste ce soir. (He feels a bit sad tonight.)

To 'feel' (an emotion, sensation, or a deeper feeling) – ressentir

To 'feel' (an emotion, sensation, or a deeper feeling) – ressentir

The French verb ressentir translates to 'to feel' in English. It's used when talking about experiencing an emotion, a physical sensation, or a more profound internal feeling.

Unlike simply perceiving something, ressentir implies a deeper, more conscious, or significant experience. It’s about what you feel inside as a result of something, often a strong emotional or physical impact.

It's important to distinguish ressentir from sentir, which also means 'to feel.' While sentir can be used for basic physical sensations (like I feel cold – Je sens froid), smelling, or touching, ressentir is reserved for more substantial or reflective feelings and emotions, like feeling joy, pain, or a strong presence.

Ressentir is an irregular -IR verb. Its conjugation often follows a pattern similar to sentir, with a stem change in certain forms (e.g., je ressens, tu ressens, il ressent, nous ressentons, vous ressentez, ils ressentent).

You'll commonly use ressentir to express feelings such as love, hate, fear, joy, sadness, regret, or a deep physical pain. It emphasizes the experience of these feelings rather than just their recognition.

Ultimately, ressentir highlights the internal, subjective nature of feeling. It’s about how something resonates within you, making it a powerful verb for expressing genuine emotional and sensory experiences in French.

💡 * Je ressens une grande joie en ce moment. (I feel great joy at the moment.)

• Elle a ressenti une douleur intense après la chute. (She felt an intense pain after the fall.)
• Nous ressentons le besoin de voyager et de découvrir de nouvelles cultures. (We feel the need to travel and discover new cultures.)
• Qu'est-ce que tu ressens pour lui après tout ce temps ? (What do you feel for him after all this time?)
• Les habitants ont ressenti les effets du changement climatique. (The inhabitants felt the effects of climate change.)

To 'experience' or 'feel' (a strong emotion or sensation) – éprouver

Éprouver is a French verb that primarily means "to experience" or "to feel," particularly when referring to strong emotions, sensations, or difficulties.

It is a transitive verb, meaning it always takes a direct object. You éprouver something.

Éprouver is frequently used with abstract nouns to express profound or intense feelings such as joie (joy), tristesse (sadness), colère (anger), peur (fear), amour (love), or haine (hatred). It can also refer to physical sensations like douleur (pain) or plaisir (pleasure).

Unlike simpler verbs for "feeling," éprouver often implies a deeper, more significant, or even challenging experience. It suggests undergoing something substantial.

While sentir can also mean "to feel," it typically refers to physical sensations, smells, or more superficial emotions. Éprouver is reserved for more profound, often internal, experiences that one undergoes.

You'll often find éprouver in more formal writing, literature, or when discussing significant emotional or existential experiences, giving it a slightly more elevated register than sentir.

💡 * Elle éprouve une grande joie à chaque fois qu'elle voit ses petits-enfants. (She feels great joy every time she sees her grandchildren.)

• Il a éprouvé de grandes difficultés pendant son voyage. (He experienced great difficulties during his trip.)
• Nous éprouvons un profond respect pour son travail. (We feel a deep respect for his work.)
• As-tu déjà éprouvé une telle peur ? (Have you ever felt such fear?)
• L'équipe a éprouvé une amère défaite. (The team experienced a bitter defeat.)

To 'feel' (that something is the case) or 'have the impression' – avoir l'impression (que)

The French expression avoir l'impression (que) directly translates to "to have the impression (that)" or "to feel (that something is the case)". It's used to convey a perception, a gut feeling, or an unconfirmed belief about a situation or fact.

This phrase is perfect when you want to express that you feel something is true, but you don't have concrete proof, or you're stating a subjective observation. It's less about a physical sensation and more about a mental or intuitive perception.

When followed by a clause, avoir l'impression is typically followed by que (or qu' before a vowel) and then a verb in the indicative mood. For example, J'ai l'impression qu'il pleut (I have the impression that it's raining).

While both can relate to "feeling," avoir l'impression (que) is for a mental impression or belief, whereas sentir is used for physical sensations (e.g., sentir la faim - to feel hunger) or emotions (e.g., sentir de la joie - to feel joy).

💡 * J'ai l'impression qu'il est fatigué. (I have the impression that he is tired.)

• Nous avions l'impression qu'il allait pleuvoir. (We had the impression that it was going to rain.)
• As-tu l'impression qu'elle est heureuse ? (Do you have the impression that she is happy?)
• Ils n'ont pas l'impression que c'est difficile. (They don't have the impression that it's difficult.)

To 'feel' (by touch) or 'touch' – toucher

The French verb toucher is a versatile and fundamental word, primarily meaning 'to touch' or 'to feel (by touch)'.

Its most direct and common translation is 'to touch', referring to making direct physical contact with an object, a surface, or a person.

Beyond simple contact, toucher also conveys the idea of 'to feel' something through the sense of touch. Think of feeling a texture, a temperature, or a substance.

Toucher is a regular -ER verb, meaning its conjugations are predictable. It often takes a direct object, answering 'what' is being touched or felt.

While rooted in physical sensation, toucher can also be used figuratively. For instance, it can mean 'to affect' someone emotionally (toucher le cœur) or even 'to earn' money (toucher un salaire).

Mastering toucher is essential for describing interactions with the physical world, from simple contact to more nuanced sensory experiences.

💡 *Ne touche pas à la peinture, elle n'est pas sèche. (Don't touch the paint, it's not dry.)
*J'ai touché le tissu pour sentir sa texture douce. (I touched the fabric to feel its soft texture.)
*Tu peux toucher l'eau pour voir si elle est chaude ? (Can you feel the water to see if it's warm?)
*Sa gentillesse m'a beaucoup touché. (His kindness really touched/affected me.)
*Il touche son salaire à la fin du mois. (He receives his salary at the end of the month.)

To 'feel' or 'palpate' (often physically, or to handle) – palper

The verb palper in French primarily means "to feel" or "to palpate." It strongly emphasizes a physical, tactile examination or touch, often with an investigative or assessing purpose. Think of it as actively exploring something with your hands.

You'll frequently encounter palper in contexts involving physical assessment. For instance, a doctor might palper l'estomac (to feel the stomach) during an examination. Outside of medicine, it's used when checking the ripeness of a fruit (palper un fruit) or assessing the texture and quality of a fabric (palper la soie – to feel the silk).

Beyond its literal meaning, palper has a very common informal and slang usage: "to earn" or "to collect money." This often implies a substantial sum, or money obtained with a certain ease, sometimes even illicitly. It carries a nuance of 'pocketing' or 'raking in' a good amount. For example, palper de l'argent means to make money.

It's important to distinguish palper from other verbs of 'feeling.' While sentir can mean to feel generally (or to smell), and ressentir is typically used for emotional feelings, palper is strictly about physical, tactile interaction and examination. Use palper when the action involves direct contact and a sense of handling or assessing with your hands.

💡 * Le médecin a palpé mon ventre pour vérifier s'il y avait des douleurs. (The doctor palpated my stomach to check for pain.)

• J'ai palpé les pêches au marché pour m'assurer qu'elles étaient mûres. (I felt the peaches at the market to make sure they were ripe.)
• Il a bien palpé sur ce contrat, il a touché une belle somme. (He made good money on that contract, he got a nice sum.)
• J'aime palper les différentes textures des tissus avant d'acheter. (I like to feel the different textures of fabrics before buying.)

To 'feel' (a physical sensation, or sense something) – sentir

The verb sentir is the primary French verb for "to feel." It encompasses a wide range of meanings, from physical sensations like touch and temperature to sensing emotions, smells, or a general intuition about something.

When referring to physical feelings, sentir is used to describe sensations such as cold, heat, pain, or the texture of something. It often translates directly to "to feel" in English, especially when followed by an adjective or a noun indicating the sensation.

Beyond physical touch, sentir also means "to sense" or "to perceive" something, whether it's an emotion, a presence, or an impending event. Crucially, it's also the verb for "to smell," referring to the act of perceiving an odor.

💡 * Je sens le froid sur mes mains. (I feel the cold on my hands.)

• Elle sent une légère douleur à la tête. (She feels a slight pain in her head.)
• Nous sentons que ce projet va réussir. (We feel that this project will succeed.)
• Tu sens cette bonne odeur de pain frais ? (Do you smell that good fresh bread smell?)
• Il sent sa présence dans la pièce. (He senses her presence in the room.)

To 'feel' (to find oneself in a certain state) – se trouver

The verb se trouver literally means “to find oneself.” While it directly translates to this, it’s frequently used to express a state of being or to indicate one's location, often akin to “to be” or “to feel” in English.

Unlike verbs like sentir (to feel physically or emotionally), se trouver is used when you want to convey that you find yourself in a particular condition, state, or place. It describes how things are for you, rather than a direct emotion or sensation.

This reflexive verb is incredibly versatile. You'll often hear it when people describe their current well-being, their location, or the circumstances they are experiencing. It adds a subtle nuance of 'finding oneself' in that particular state or place, rather than simply 'being' there.

While se trouver can sometimes be interchangeable with être (to be), it often carries a sense of discovery or a more temporary/situational aspect. For example, Je me trouve bien ici (I feel good here) emphasizes finding comfort, whereas Je suis bien ici (I am good here) is a more direct statement of fact.

💡 * Je me trouve très bien en ce moment. (I feel very good at the moment.)

• Ils se trouvent à la campagne pour le week-end. (They are in the countryside for the weekend.)
• Comment vous trouvez-vous après le voyage? (How are you feeling after the trip?)
• Le livre se trouve sur l'étagère du haut. (The book is on the top shelf.)

To 'seem' or 'appear' (how one feels or presents) – paraître / sembler

In French, the two primary verbs you'll use to express 'to seem' or 'to appear' are paraître and sembler. While often interchangeable, they carry subtle differences in nuance and grammatical usage.

The verb paraître (which literally means 'to appear') often emphasizes an external appearance or a perceived reality. It suggests how something presents itself to the eye or mind, sometimes implying a contrast with the actual reality. It's often used when something looks or seems a certain way, focusing on the visual or objective perception.

On the other hand, sembler tends to convey a more subjective impression or feeling. It's about how something feels or strikes someone personally. It can also be used to express an opinion or a likelihood, often translated as 'it seems that...' or 'it appears to me that...'

While paraître and sembler are often interchangeable, a crucial grammatical distinction arises with the subjunctive mood. When sembler is used in the negative or interrogative form (e.g., il ne semble pas que, semble-t-il que), it requires the subjunctive in the subordinate clause. Paraître generally takes the indicative in these cases, though the subjunctive is possible, especially in formal contexts, to express doubt.

Both verbs are frequently used with adjectives (e.g., il semble fatigué, elle paraît jeune), with infinitives (e.g., il paraît comprendre, elle semble savoir), or in impersonal constructions like il semble que / il paraît que followed by a clause. Remember to pay attention to agreement when used with an adjective referring to a subject (e.g., elles semblent heureuses).

💡 *Il paraît heureux aujourd'hui. (He seems happy today.)
*Elle semble surprise par la nouvelle. (She seems surprised by the new.)
*Il me semble que tu as raison. (It seems to me that you are right.)
*Il ne semble pas qu'il soit malade. (It doesn't seem that he is sick.)
*Ce projet paraît simple à première vue. (This project seems simple at first glance.)
*Que vous semble-t-il de cette idée? (What do you think of this idea?)

Are there other ways to say 'to feel' in French?

Are there other ways to say “to feel” in French?

Our list features the most common and versatile ways to say “to feel” in French. However, the French language, like any other, is rich with nuances, regionalisms, and idiomatic expressions that might also convey feelings.

You can delve deeper by searching online for phrases like “comment exprimer les sentiments en français” or “synonymes de se sentir.” Exploring these will reveal a broader spectrum of expressions.

When you encounter new verbs or phrases related to feeling, always check their specific definitions and observe how native speakers use them in various contexts to grasp their precise meaning and appropriate usage.

Immerse yourself in French media – books, films, music, and conversations. Pay close attention to how characters and speakers express emotions; this is often the best way to naturally acquire these subtle differences.

For a comprehensive exploration of verbs and expressions related to 'feeling,' the WordReference entry for sentir or se sentir is an excellent starting point, offering numerous examples and nuances.

I hope this article has helped clarify the many ways to express 'to feel' in French. As the French philosopher Blaise Pascal once said: "Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point." (The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.) This beautifully encapsulates the complexity of human feelings.