Knowing how to say “bien” and “mal” gets you through a first conversation, but describing how you actually feel takes a wider vocabulary and a few grammar patterns. This guide groups common Spanish emotion words, shows the sentence patterns that go with them, and notes where usage differs between regions.
Estar, ser and tener with feelings
Do you use estar for emotions? Usually, yes. Spanish treats most emotions as temporary states, so they take estar:
- Estoy contento. – I’m happy.
- Ella está triste. – She is sad.
- Estamos nerviosos. – We are nervous.
Ser describes more lasting traits or character, so it changes the meaning:
- Es una persona alegre. – He/She is a cheerful person (by nature).
- Estoy aburrido. – I’m bored.
- Soy aburrido. – I’m boring (a trait).
Some feelings use tener (literally “to have”) plus a noun instead of an adjective:
- Tengo miedo. – I’m afraid.
- Tengo vergüenza. – I’m embarrassed / ashamed.
- Tengo ganas de… – I feel like… / I want to…
- Tengo envidia. – I’m envious.
A third pattern uses dar with an indirect pronoun: Me da miedo (“It scares me”), Me da vergüenza (“It embarrasses me”), Me da pena (“It makes me sad / I feel sorry,” depending on region).
Remember that adjectives agree with the person feeling them: contento / contenta, cansado / cansada, nervioso / nerviosa.
Positive emotions
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| feliz | happy |
| contento / contenta | happy, pleased |
| alegre | cheerful |
| emocionado / emocionada | excited (in many countries; see regional notes) |
| entusiasmado / entusiasmada | enthusiastic |
| orgulloso / orgullosa | proud |
| agradecido / agradecida | grateful |
| tranquilo / tranquila | calm, relaxed |
| enamorado / enamorada | in love |
| esperanzado / esperanzada | hopeful |
| aliviado / aliviada | relieved |
Negative emotions
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| triste | sad |
| deprimido / deprimida | depressed, down |
| enojado / enojada | angry (common in Latin America) |
| enfadado / enfadada | angry (common in Spain) |
| furioso / furiosa | furious |
| frustrado / frustrada | frustrated |
| asustado / asustada | scared |
| preocupado / preocupada | worried |
| estresado / estresada | stressed |
| celoso / celosa | jealous |
| avergonzado / avergonzada | embarrassed |
| decepcionado / decepcionada | disappointed |
| solo / sola | lonely, alone |
If you are looking for words about low mood, note that deprimido is used in everyday speech for feeling down, but it can also refer to a medical condition. Use it carefully when talking about someone else’s health.
Other common feelings
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| cansado / cansada | tired |
| aburrido / aburrida | bored |
| sorprendido / sorprendida | surprised |
| nervioso / nerviosa | nervous |
| ansioso / ansiosa | anxious |
| confundido / confundida | confused |
| curioso / curiosa | curious |
| indiferente | indifferent |
Emotion nouns
Nouns are useful for sentences such as “I feel a lot of joy.”
- la alegría – joy
- la tristeza – sadness
- el miedo – fear
- el enojo / el enfado – anger (annoyance)
- la ira – rage, wrath (stronger, more formal)
- la sorpresa – surprise
- la vergüenza – shame, embarrassment
- el orgullo – pride
- los celos – jealousy (usually plural)
- la ansiedad – anxiety
- la esperanza – hope
- el cariño – affection
- el amor – love
Verbs for feelings
- sentirse – to feel: Me siento cansado. (I feel tired.)
- alegrarse (de) – to be glad: Me alegro de verte. (I’m glad to see you.)
- preocuparse (por) – to worry: Me preocupo por mi hermano. (I worry about my brother.)
- enojarse / enfadarse – to get angry: Se enojó mucho. (He/She got very angry.)
- emocionarse – to get excited or moved
- asustarse – to get scared
- extrañar (Latin America) / echar de menos (Spain) – to miss someone: Te extraño. / Te echo de menos.
Saying how you feel
Useful sentence frames:
- Estoy muy + adjective. – I’m very …: Estoy muy cansada.
- Me siento + adjective. – I feel …: Me siento feliz.
- Estoy de buen humor / de mal humor. – I’m in a good / bad mood.
- ¿Cómo te sientes? – How do you feel?
- ¿Qué te pasa? – What’s wrong?
- Estoy bien. – I’m fine. Yes, you can say this; it is the standard short answer to ¿Cómo estás?
These phrases pair well with the greetings in our guide to Spanish greetings and goodbyes, where ¿Cómo estás? is usually answered with one of the words above.
Moods and related words
If you are asked about “moods,” the common Spanish terms are:
- el estado de ánimo – mood, state of mind
- el humor – mood or humor (estar de buen humor = to be in a good mood)
- las emociones – emotions
- los sentimientos – feelings, sentiments
There is no single agreed list of “types of emotions” in Spanish or English; different sources group them differently, so treat any fixed number you see with some caution.
Regional notes
- Enojado is the usual word for “angry” in Mexico and much of Latin America, while enfadado is typical in Spain.
- Emocionado can mean “excited” in many Latin American countries, while in Spain it often suggests being moved or touched emotionally. Context usually makes the meaning clear.
- Extrañar for “to miss” is more common in Latin America, and echar de menos in Spain.
- Pena can mean sadness or embarrassment depending on the country, so learn it from examples.
Practice tips
- Learn each adjective in a short sentence with estoy so the verb pattern sticks.
- Make a habit of answering “¿Cómo estás?” with something more specific than “bien.”
- Note which feelings take tener (miedo, vergüenza, hambre) rather than estar.
- Read song lyrics or dialogue, where emotions come up naturally. Our list of easy Spanish songs to learn is one place to start.