The verb feel means to experience an emotion or a physical sensation. Its past tense form is felt. This page explains how to use feel/felt in various contexts.
Usage Rules
Feel is an irregular verb:
- Present tense: feel (I feel, you feel, she feels)
- Past tense: felt (I felt, you felt, they felt)
- Past participle: felt (used after have or had)
Feel can be used as:
- A linking verb: connect the subject to a description (e.g., I feel tired.)
- A transitive verb: take a direct object (e.g., I felt a tap on my shoulder.)
- An intransitive verb: no object (e.g., I feel sick.)
Which of the following shows the correct present tense form of 'feel' for the subject 'she'?
She feels tired.
'She feels tired.' is correct because 'she' requires the verb to have an 's' in the present tense. The other options are either past tense or grammatically incorrect.
Meaning
- Experience an emotion or physical sensation
- I feel happy.* (emotion)
- She feels cold.* (sensation)
- Touch or sense something
- I felt the texture of the fabric.*
- He felt a bump on his head.*
- Express an opinion or belief (more formal)
- I feel that we should wait.*
- She feels the decision is unfair.*
In which context does 'feel' express an opinion or belief?
In more formal situations, e.g., 'I feel that we should wait.'
'Feel' can express opinions, especially in a formal tone, often followed by 'that...'.
Examples
| Present Tense | Simple Past (felt) | Past Participle (have felt) | Usage Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I feel tired. | I felt tired yesterday. | I have felt tired all week. | I feel tired right now. | Experience sensation |
| She feels happy. | She felt happy after the test. | She has felt happy many times. | She feels happy today. | Experience emotion |
| We feel the wind. | We felt the cold wind earlier. | We have felt the wind before. | We feel the wind on our faces. | Sense via touch |
| I feel that it’s wrong. | I felt that it was unfair. | I have felt that way before. | I feel that we should leave. | Express opinion |
Tips
- Use feel for present or general statements.
- Use felt for completed actions in the past.
- Use have/has felt for experiences that continue to the present.
- Use feel like + [verb] to express a desire (e.g., I feel like eating.).
- In questions and negatives, use auxiliary do: Do you feel cold? / *I don’t feel well.
Summary
- Feel means to experience a sensation, emotion, or opinion.
- Past tense is felt (I felt, she felt, they felt).
- Past participle is felt (I have felt, they have felt).
- Can be linking verb, transitive verb, or intransitive verb.
- Use auxiliary do in questions and negatives.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
