In Ukrainian, the concept of “to feel” — as in feeling emotions or states like happy, sad, strong, afraid — is often expressed through the verb “відчувати” or by using reflexive constructions with adjectives. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

🔹 1. “Відчувати” – to feel (something directly)

“Відчувати” is the general verb that means “to feel,” especially when referring to physical sensations or emotions:

• Я відчуваю радість. – I feel joy.

• Вона відчуває страх. – She feels fear.

• Вони відчувають втому. – They feel tiredness.

This construction is most direct:
[відчувати] + [noun for the emotion or state]

🔹 2. Using “почуватися” – to feel (a certain way)

The reflexive verb “почуватися” (literally: to feel oneself) is used to express how someone feels in terms of well-being, condition, or emotion. This is closer to saying “I feel sad / strong / good / bad.”

• Я почуваюся щасливим. – I feel happy.

• Він почувається сильним. – He feels strong.

• Ми почуваємося втомленими. – We feel tired.

• Вона почувається наляканою. – She feels afraid.

This construction uses the instrumental case after the verb:
[почуватися] + [adjective in instrumental form]

🔹 3. Examples of emotions/states with both constructions

🔹 Summary

• Use “відчувати” when you’re speaking about feeling a specific thing (joy, fear, tiredness).

• Use “почуватися” when you’re speaking about being in a certain emotional or physical state (happy, sad, strong).

• Some feelings can be expressed both ways depending on style and meaning nuance.