More Pronominal Verbs: "Sentirsela" and "Prendersela"
Pronominal verbs ending in -sela add a native flair to your Italian. Here, we'll focus on two essential verbs: sentirsela (to feel up to) and prendersela (to take offense).
The Verb "Sentirsela"
Like cavarsela, sentirsela combines the root sentire, a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, ce, ve, se), and the fixed pronoun la.
To conjugate it, adjust the pronoun and conjugate sentire as normal:
| Subject | Pronouns + Verb |
|---|
| io | me la sento |
| tu | te la senti |
| lui/lei/Lei | se la sente |
| noi | ce la sentiamo |
| voi | ve la sentite |
| loro | se la sentono |
To specify what you feel up to doing, follow the conjugated verb with di + infinitive.
Competitive Sports Vocabulary
We'll practice these verbs in the context of a sports tournament (il torneo), alongside verbs like sconfiggere (to defeat) and pareggiare (to draw/tie).
The Verb "Prendersela"
Prendersela (to take offense or get mad) follows the exact same pronoun pattern, just with the root verb prendere.
Past Tense and Other Moods
In the passato prossimo, these verbs take the auxiliary essere. Because the fixed pronoun la acts as a direct object, the past participle always ends in -a (sentita, presa).
Before forms of essere starting with a vowel (like è), la drops its vowel to form an apostrophe (e.g., se l'è presa).
These verbs function smoothly across all other tenses and moods, including the imperfetto and the subjunctive.
