Which of these two sentences is more appropriate in a given situation?
I am tired.
I am feeling tired.
I know this might be a very childish question, but English is not my first language and I just want to know more about authentic English.
asked Aug 12 '13 at 6:30
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6there is a great site ell.stackexchange.com - To me, the am tired is more tired than feeling tired. As in I am tired I will go to bed vs I am feeling tired, I will have a cup of coffee – mplungjan Aug 12 '13 at 6:33
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2NOAD defines feel several ways; one of them is: consider oneself to be in a particular state or exhibiting particular qualities. So, if you feel grouchy, then you pretty much are grouchy; if you feel elated, that's pretty much the same as being elated. Same goes for tired, in my mind. Of course, there are other meanings of feel, too, such as: have a belief or impression, esp. without an identifiable reason, so, in some contexts, there may be more of a distinct nuance, as when a worker says, "I feel more tired than usual for some reason" – feel might be better than am. – J.R. Aug 12 '13 at 8:54
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Let me put it this way:
He is feeling dead. Means he is not dead, but is feeling like it.
He is dead. Means he is dead. Period.
Feeling tired means you are feeling like tired or tiredness is slowing taking over you. In the other example you are tired and don't want to give further explanation. There's nothing more to it:)
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2While the difference is very significant for is dead vs feeling dead, I don't think the difference is as pronounced for is tired vs feeling tired. If I announce that I'm "feeling tired," chances are that I am tired. – J.R. Aug 12 '13 at 8:46
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2@J.R. Right. I was just trying to illustrate how the two could change the meaning of an entire sentence. I agree with your observation but that can only be true when you are not really picky. A: I am feeling tired. B: Are you feeling tired or are you tired? A: Well, I am tired. – Noah Aug 12 '13 at 9:28
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2It's hard to feel tired without being tired, but I agree that you can feel dead without being dead, or feel broke (financially) even when you're not literally broke. – J.R. Aug 12 '13 at 13:34
Perhaps it is the sense of immediacy the terms provide, in the case of "I feel..." the speaker is distancing themselves from the situation, allowing themselves room to be ambiguous. In a sense not committing fully to the statement. In the case of "I am..." the speaker is stepping into the immediate sensation, and declaring clearly what IS.
http://tcbdevito.blogspot.com/2011/11/communication-strategies-immediacy.html
Feel tired means that you are not tired in real but you think that you are tired whereas am tired means that you are really tired.
