Empathy — B1 Vocabulary
The ability to imagine and share another person’s feelings, as if they were your own.
Quick Answer
Empathy means feeling WITH someone — you imagine yourself in their place and share the feeling. “Good nurses have great empathy with their patients.”
Example: Her empathy helped her understand exactly how I felt.
Empathy in 3 Sentences
Read these three sentences. Notice how empathy is used:
- Good nurses have great empathy with their patients. (they truly feel what patients feel)
- Having failed the test himself once, he felt empathy for the students. (he had been in their shoes)
- Reading novels builds empathy — you live inside other minds. (sharing feelings)
A Quick Tip About EMPATHY
Empathy goes one step further than sympathy. Sympathy feels sorry FOR someone from the outside. Empathy steps inside and feels WITH them.
Using “sympathy” when you mean truly sharing the feeling
✗ Having lived through war himself, he felt deep sympathy — he knew exactly how they felt.
✓ Having lived through war himself, he felt deep empathy — he knew exactly how they felt.
Easy way to remember: EMpathy = feeling with thEM, as if you were them.
Practice all Sympathy vs Empathy
Now practise empathy together with the other words in this topic. Use Study, Practice, Flashcards, and Review.
Sympathy vs Empathy
Master sympathy and empathy — feeling FOR someone versus feeling WITH them. A small difference that changes everything.
Study Cards
Read the word, look at the picture, and say the example sentence.
Quick Practice
Choose the word that completes the sentence.
1 of 2
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Flashcards
Look at the picture first, then tap the card to check the word.
Spaced Review
Review cards today, then let the queue bring them back later.
Test Yourself: Empathy
Choose an answer to see your feedback immediately. Your first answer counts towards your score.
1. Having been unemployed himself, he felt real ______ for the jobless.
2. What does empathy mean?
3. Empathy means putting yourself…
4. “A good therapist listens with ______, not judgement.”
5. Which trick helps you remember empathy?
Other Sympathy vs Empathy to Learn
Pick another word from this lesson — small steps add up fast.
Keep Going — One Word, Many Wins
You just learned empathy — the feeling-with-them word. It is one of the most valued words in modern English, from job interviews to friendships.
Use the examples above to practise this pattern. When you are ready, choose your next topic below.
Choose Your Next Topic
This path ends here. Choose another B1 lesson from the collection when you are ready for a new topic.
Related Lesson for Review: Sympathy — B1 Vocabulary
I’m Khamis Maiouf. I’m studying Health and Social Care and have completed Functional Skills Level 2 in English and Level 3 Hairdressing. I have taught ESOL in my community and helped students with GCSE English. I run English Teacher Site to help people learn and practise English.