Today you'll learn how to describe how you feel — both physically and emotionally. French has a very common reflexive structure 'se sentir' (to feel) that you'll hear every day, plus a set of adjectives covering everything from tired and worried to calm and happy. You'll also learn a crucial point: adjectives in French change form depending on whether the speaker is male or female. Camille and Lucas are at the office — Lucas has a big presentation and is not feeling his best!
Learning tips
- The reflexive verb 'se sentir' changes its reflexive pronoun with each subject: 'je me sens', 'tu te sens', 'il/elle se sent', 'nous nous sentons', 'vous vous sentez', 'ils/elles se sentent'. The pattern matches other reflexive verbs you'll learn.
- Emotion adjectives agree in gender with the speaker: a man says 'je suis fatigué', a woman says 'je suis fatiguée'. The spoken difference is often subtle — the written -e is the clearest marker.
- For irregular adjectives like 'nerveux/nerveuse' and 'inquiet/inquiète', the feminine form sounds noticeably different. Camille deliberately self-corrects in the dialog — listen for it!
- 'Avoir l'air + adjective' is a very natural way to say someone looks a certain way: 'tu as l'air fatigué' = 'you look tired'. The adjective usually agrees with the person being described.
- To ask 'how are you feeling?' use 'comment tu te sens ?' (informal) or 'comment vous sentez-vous ?' (formal). 'Ça va ?' is even more casual.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| la tête | the head |
| le bras | the arm |
| la jambe | the leg |
| la main | the hand |
| le pied | the foot |
| le ventre | the stomach / belly |
| le dos | the back |
| l'œil | the eye |
| la bouche | the mouth |
| l'oreille | the ear |
Dialog
Lucas arrives at the office looking exhausted — he has a big presentation that day and a persistent back pain. Camille encourages him with empathy and practical advice. The dialog demonstrates 'se sentir', 'avoir l'air', and a range of emotion adjectives with their gender forms.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| se sentir | /sə sɑ̃.tiʁ/ | to feel (reflexive) | Reflexive verb — always used with a reflexive pronoun: 'je me sens', 'tu te sens', etc. Used for both physical and emotional feelings. |
| malade | /ma.lad/ | ill / sick | Adjective — same form for masculine and feminine: 'il est malade', 'elle est malade'. No gender change needed! |
| fatigué | /fa.ti.ɡe/ | tired | Masculine form. Feminine: 'fatiguée' (add -e, the final 'é' becomes slightly longer). 'Je suis fatigué(e)' is extremely common. |
| en bonne santé | /ɑ̃ bɔn sɑ̃.te/ | in good health / healthy | Fixed expression — never changes form. 'Être en bonne santé' = to be in good health. Opposite: 'en mauvaise santé'. |
| content | /kɔ̃.tɑ̃/ | happy / pleased / glad | Masculine form. Feminine: 'contente'. A very common, mild positive emotion — not as strong as 'heureux/heureuse' (very happy). |
| triste | /tʁist/ | sad | Same form for both genders — no change needed: 'il est triste', 'elle est triste'. |
| inquiet | /ɛ̃.kjɛ/ | worried / anxious | Masculine form. Feminine: 'inquiète' — note the accent change. Pronounced /ɛ̃.kjɛ/ (m) and /ɛ̃.kjɛt/ (f). |
| nerveux | /nɛʁ.vø/ | nervous | Masculine form. Feminine: 'nerveuse' /nɛʁ.vøz/ — the -eux ending becomes -euse. Camille self-corrects in the dialog! |
| tranquille | /tʁɑ̃.kil/ | calm / quiet / peaceful | Same form for both genders: 'il est tranquille', 'elle est tranquille'. A very useful everyday adjective. |
| la douleur | /la du.lœʁ/ | pain / ache | Feminine noun. 'Avoir une douleur à...' = 'to have a pain in...'. More formal/medical than 'avoir mal à'. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| épuisé | /e.pɥi.ze/ | ||
| stressé | /stʁe.se/ | ||
| soulagé | /su.la.ʒe/ | ||
| en forme | /ɑ̃ fɔʁm/ | ||
| déprimé | /de.pʁi.me/ | ||
| énervé | /e.nɛʁ.ve/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| je me sens bien / mal | I feel well / I feel bad |
| tu as l'air fatigué | you look tired |
| comment tu te sens ? | how are you feeling? |
Grammar: Reflexive verb 'se sentir' conjugated with reflexive pronouns (je me sens, tu te sens...) + 'être' + emotion adjective with gender agreement (-e for feminine forms)
| Sujet | se sentir | être + adjectif (m/f) |
|---|---|---|
| je | je me sens bien/mal | je suis content / contente |
| tu | tu te sens bien/mal | tu es triste / triste |
| il/elle | il se sent bien / elle se sent mal | il est nerveux / elle est nerveuse |
| nous | nous nous sentons bien | nous sommes fatigués / fatiguées |
| vous | vous vous sentez bien | vous êtes inquiet / inquiète |
| ils/elles | ils se sentent mal | ils sont tranquilles / elles sont tranquilles |
This lesson covers two related grammar points. First, the reflexive verb 'se sentir': to conjugate it, you place the correct reflexive pronoun before the verb — 'je me sens', 'tu te sens', 'il/elle se sent', 'nous nous sentons', 'vous vous sentez', 'ils/elles se sentent'. You can follow 'se sentir' with an adverb ('bien', 'mal') or with an adjective ('je me sens fatigué'). Second, adjective gender agreement with 'être': most adjectives add a silent -e in the feminine form ('fatigué' → 'fatiguée', 'content' → 'contente', 'triste' → 'triste' — no change). Some have irregular feminine forms: 'nerveux' → 'nerveuse', 'inquiet' → 'inquiète'. The adjective must agree with the grammatical subject: a woman speaking about herself says 'je suis contente', 'je suis fatiguée', 'je me sens nerveuse'. A man says 'je suis content', 'je suis fatigué', 'je me sens nerveux'. In writing, the difference is always clear; in speech, listen carefully for the -euse and -ète endings.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Choose the correct option from the brackets to complete each sentence.
- Je très bien aujourd'hui — j'ai bien dormi ! (me sens / te sens / se sent)(subject is 'je' — which reflexive pronoun fits?)
- Elle est parce qu'elle a beaucoup travaillé. (fatiguée / fatigué)(subject is 'elle' — does the adjective need a feminine ending?)
- Lucas est avant sa grande présentation. (inquiet / inquiète)(subject is 'Lucas' = masculine — which form?)
- La au dos est forte ce matin. (douleur / douleurs)(is 'douleur' singular or plural here?)
- Comment vous après la réunion ? (vous sentez / te sens / me sens)(subject is 'vous' — which reflexive form?)
Grammar Application
Build a complete sentence from the prompt. Use the correct form of 'se sentir' or 'être' and apply gender agreement where indicated.
- il / se sentir / malade → (il = masculine, use 'se sentir')
- elle / être / nerveux (agree!) → (elle = feminine, change 'nerveux' accordingly)
- nous / se sentir / tranquille → (nous = 1st person plural of 'se sentir')
- tu / être / content (female speaker) → (female speaker saying 'content' — add feminine -e)
- elles / être / fatigué (agree!) → (elles = feminine plural, 'fatigué' needs full agreement)
Translate into French
Translate each sentence into French. Pay attention to the correct reflexive pronoun and adjective gender.
- I feel sick today.
- She is sad and tired.
- How are you feeling?
- He looks nervous.
- We feel calm after the walk.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write 2–3 French sentences describing how you or someone you know feels today. Use 'se sentir' at least once and at least one emotion adjective with correct gender.
Takeaway
Use 'je me sens + adverb/adjective' to describe how you feel, and remember that adjectives must agree with the gender of the person they describe — 'nerveux' for men, 'nerveuse' for women.