Which is correct. Sentir or Sentirse

Question

Hola a todos, In the phrase " He felt fine" would the correct translation be "él sintió bien" or" se sintió bien" and why. Gracias.

Answer 1

" se sintió bien" is correct because sentir in this case is a reflexive verb - the person doing the action (toward himself) is affected by that action.

When the action is not directed toward the speaker, sentir is not reflexive, ie: Él sintió el sonido desde lejos porque estaba bien fuerte.

Answer 2

Él se sintió bien

In that case, the verb you need to use is 'sentirse'. You use sentirse when you feel one way or the other. For example: Él se siente mal.

You use 'sentir' when you perceive something, in that case you need an object (a sensation, a sound). For example: Él sintió frío

Answer 3

Both are correct. Usage depends of context...usually we leave the subj out if we are already talking about it.

Answer 4

Perhaps this mini lesson will help.

Answer 5

I'm not sure and I don't want to give you the wrong answer for your question, but I think that what's important here is the difference between the verbs: sentir and sentirse. They both mean "to feel", but the first one is about feeling sth in general and senses of course, whilst the second express your own personal feelings. So I'd choose the option "se sintió bien", just like in cases, when you use adjectives like: enfermo (sick, ill), feliz (happy) etc

I hope I haven't misled you... :>