¿te sientes mejor?
To say "are you feeling better" in Spanish, you say ¿te sientes mejor?
Meaning: familiar (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase te sientes mejor literally means "you feel better". It is composed of the reflexive pronoun te (yourself), the verb sientes (you feel) and the comparative mejor (better).
Which one should you use?
While English uses the continuous present "are you feeling", Spanish typically uses the simple present sientes to express the same state of being.
When do people say it?
A common way to respond to this question is Sí, me siento mejor (Yes, I feel better).
Did you know?
- In some regions, a person might respond to ¿te sientes mejor? with ahí voy, which literally means 'there I go' but implies they are recovering slowly.
- The root of mejor traces back to a Proto-Indo-European word meaning 'strong' or 'big', linking physical power to the concept of improvement.
- If someone is recovering from a cold, a common follow-up to ¿te sientes mejor? is que te mejores, which is a wish for continued recovery.
Examples in context
- ¿Te sientes mejor?Are you feeling better?This example shows the use of ¿te sientes mejor?Tatoeba #576682 by Shishir, translation #267729 by CK
- Ahora que tomaste la medicina, ¿te sientes mejor?Now that you took the medicine, are you feeling better?
Example conversation
Alejandro is visiting María who was sick.
- AlejandroHola María, ¿te sientes mejor?Hi María, are you feeling better?
- MaríaSí, ya me siento mucho mejor.Yes, I feel much better now.
- AlejandroQué bueno, me alegro mucho.That's great, I'm very glad.
- MaríaGracias por venir a verme, Alejandro.Thank you for coming to see me, Alejandro.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mejor, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
