Breakdown of Mon estomac se sent mieux maintenant, et je suis prêt à sortir.
je
I
être
to be
mon
my
et
and
maintenant
now
à
to
sortir
to go out
se
oneself
sentir
to feel
prêt
ready
mieux
better
l'estomac
the stomach
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Questions & Answers about Mon estomac se sent mieux maintenant, et je suis prêt à sortir.
What does se sentir mean in this sentence, and why is it used in a reflexive form instead of simply using sentir?
In this sentence, se sentir translates to “to feel” in the sense of experiencing a state or condition. The reflexive form is used to indicate that the subject (here, mon estomac—“my stomach”) is experiencing its own change in condition. Also, note that without the reflexive pronoun, sentir can often mean “to smell,” so se sentir clearly expresses an internal state.
What is the role of maintenant in this sentence, and can its placement be varied?
Maintenant means “now” and specifies that the change (the stomach feeling better) is happening at this moment. In French, adverbs like maintenant are typically placed at the end of a clause for a natural flow, though you might sometimes see them in other positions for emphasis. The placement here is standard and emphasizes the immediacy of the improved condition.
How is the phrase je suis prêt à sortir constructed, and what does it reveal about the speaker?
The phrase is structured with the verb être (to be) followed by the adjective prêt (ready), which then links via the preposition à to the infinitive sortir (to go out). This construction indicates that the speaker is in a state of readiness to leave. Additionally, the adjective prêt must agree with the gender of the speaker—if the speaker were female, it would be prête.
What is the difference between sentir and se sentir in French, and why is this distinction important here?
While sentir without a reflexive pronoun can mean “to feel” in some contexts, it is also often used to describe smells (for example, Je sens une fleur means “I smell a flower”). In contrast, se sentir is used reflexively to describe how someone or something feels emotionally or physically. In this sentence, using se sentir helps to clearly convey that the stomach is experiencing an improvement in its condition, rather than expressing any idea related to smell.