How describe feelings in the past

Hi. Can someone advise me please?

How do I say: “I felt ill yesterday”

I've seen examples using passato prossimo like “Mi sono sentito male ieri”

However, since we are describing a state of mind, not a completed action I thought the imperfect would be more suitable, ie. “Mi sentivo male ieri”

Can you tell me which is correct, or more natural please?

Thanks!

Hi David, 

Thanks for your question! 

Both are correct but might imply slightly different things.

If you use passato prossimo “mi sono sentito male ieri”, you are referring to a specific timeframe or moment. For instance, let's say you were having dinner and, after a few minutes, you started to feel ill. In such case, on the next day, you would say “Mi sono sentito male ieri, mentre ero a cena."

Instead, you can use the imperfect to refer to a wider timeframe, rather than to a specific moment. For instance, let's say you felt ill throughout the day (e.g. fever, cold, tiredness etc.), you would say “Ieri mi sentivo male, quindi non sono andato a lavoro.”

Hope this helps, feel free to let me know in case I can provide more details! :) 

Hi Caterina,

I understand perfectly now! Your explanations are so good..

Thanks for your help