Do you know the difference between these two Italian verbs, ascoltare and sentire?
“Sentire” means feeling / perceiving with your body, checking with your tactile sense, or hearing something for e brief moment, therefore you can “sentire freddo”, “sentire rabbia”, “sentire il battito del cuore”, but also randomly “sentire una canzone alla radio”.
When “sentire” is associated to the feelings of the body, we use the reflexive verbs “sentirsi”:
Mi sento bene / male / pieno / stanco
Ti senti bene / male / …
Si sente bene / male
Ci sentiamo bene / male
Vi sentite bene / male
Si sentono bene / male
On the other hand, “ascoltare” is listening to an actual sound or to something with attention, which means “ascoltare una canzone” – the lyrics, music – , “ascoltare una conferenza”, etc.
To start learning Italian with me, in London or online, click on “Contact” and send me an email!
