Response functions in nuclear matter at finite temperature are considered beyond the usual Hartree–Fock plus random phase approximation (RPA) scheme. The contributions due to the propagator for the dressed nucleons and the corresponding vertex corrections are treated in a consistent way. For that purpose a semi-realistic Hamiltonian is developed with parameters adjusted to reproduce the nucleon self-energy as derived from realistic nucleon–nucleon interactions. For a scalar residual interaction the resulting response functions are very close to the RPA response functions. However, the collective modes, if present, get an additional width due to the coupling to multi-pair configurations. For isospin-dependent residual interactions we find strong modifications of isospin response functions due to multi-pair contributions in the response function. Such a modification can lead to the disappearance of collective spin or isospin modes in a correlated system and shall have an effect on the absorption rate of neutrinos in nuclear matter.