sentir or sentarse

Question

edith E posted one year agoSentir or sentirse questionWhy is “I feel like an idiot dressed up like a clown” reflexive? Idiot is a noun. I had this question on a quiz. I had difficulty with the use of sentir/sentirseThank you Marcus G C1 for this "When you have como+noun, use the refexive.  Nos sentimos como dos idiotas después de la estafa."  we felt foolish after the scam; foolish being an adjectiveI was so confused after looking at Spanish dictionary I decided that the use of como un idiota translates to foolish - an adjective, even though un idiota is a nounEres un idiota - you are an idiot  (noun)Estás actuando como un idiota - you are being ridiculous (adjective)

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Julie F.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Edith! You're absolutely right that "idiota" is technically a noun, but in expressions like “Nos sentimos como idiotas” or “Me siento como un idiota”, it behaves functionally like an adjective, describing how someone feels. That’s why we use the reflexive form “sentirse”, because it refers to someone’s internal emotional or psychological state, not an external perception or action.
The rule of thumb Marcus G mentioned, using “sentirse” with “como + noun”, is a helpful guideline. In these cases, the noun (e.g. idiota) conveys a state or condition, similar to an adjective, even if it’s grammatically a noun. Spanish often allows nouns to take on adjectival meaning in emotional or descriptive contexts.
For example:
“Nos sentimos como idiotas” → “We felt foolish” (not “We felt like literal idiots standing there”).
“Se sintió un héroe” → “He felt like a hero” (i.e., he felt brave, strong… not that he physically became one).
You're also spot-on in your examples:
“Eres un idiota” = stating a fact (noun).
“Estás actuando como un idiota” = describing behavior (acting foolish, adjectival use).
This distinction can be subtle but is key to mastering expressions with sentir/sentirse. You clearly worked through it carefully, great job!
Saludos
Silvia