😄 Emotions - Emociones
Beginner Spanish · Emotions and feelings
Emotions and Feelings in Spanish
Talking about feelings is more than memorizing emotion words. Learn a few common feelings first, then use estar, sentirse, and a couple of useful tener expressions to say how you feel.
Your next small win: ask how someone feels, describe your current emotional state, and choose between estar, sentirse, and a few common tener expressions.
Start with common feelings
Basic Emotions and Feelings
These are useful words for describing how you or someone else feels.
Happy
Sad
Tired
Nervous
Excited
Worried
Calm
Scared
Say how you feel
You are tired. Complete Estoy... with the form that fits you.
Estoy cansado.
Estoy cansada.
More feelings
Relaxed
In love
Confused
Disappointed
Bored
Grateful
Additional emotion vocabulary
Frustrated
Surprised
Discouraged
Relieved
Proud
Jealous
Choose the right pattern
Three Ways to Express Feelings
Spanish does not use one single pattern for every feeling. These three patterns cover a lot of useful beginner situations.
1. Estar + adjective
I'm tired.
My sister is worried.
We're excited.
Current state: this lesson uses estar for how someone feels at the moment.
2. Sentirse
I feel happy.
I feel relieved. Masculine form.
Useful chunk: learn Me siento... as a ready-made way to say “I feel...”
3. Tener expressions
I'm afraid / I'm scared.
I'm sleepy.
Learn these as complete phrases: do not try to force every feeling into estar + adjective.
Choose the pattern
You want to say “I feel happy.” Use sentirse.
Me siento feliz.
Make the feeling match the person
Feelings and Adjective Agreement
Many feeling adjectives change their ending depending on the person being described. A few common words keep the same masculine and feminine form.
Adjectives that change
Tired
Nervous
Worried
Excited
Words that stay the same
Happy
Sad
Describe your sister
Your sister is worried. Complete Mi hermana está...
Mi hermana está preocupada.
Put feelings into real situations
Talking About Feelings
I'm in a very good mood today.
My sister is worried about her exam tomorrow.
I feel relieved after finishing the project.
We're excited to explore the new city.
More feeling examples
Lucía was surprised when she saw the gift on the table.
I feel frustrated because I've been looking for my keys for an hour.
His parents are very proud of everything he has accomplished.
After walking by the sea, we feel much more relaxed.
Check in with someone
Everyday Conversations
A simple question about how someone feels can lead to very useful everyday Spanish.
Checking in with a friend
How are you feeling today?
I'm a little tired, but I'm in a good mood.
Before an important event
Are you nervous about the interview?
Yes, a little, but I'm also excited.
Answer the check-in question
Answer ¿Cómo te sientes hoy? with one or two feelings from the lesson.
Estoy un poco cansado, pero estoy tranquilo.
Your turn · 8 quick questions
Practice: Emotions and Feelings
Choose the phrase that fits each situation. Focus on current feelings, adjective agreement, and the three expression patterns from the lesson.
Practice complete
You can talk about how someone feels.
A few feeling phrases to revisit
One last step: describe your feelings without choices.
Answer ¿Cómo te sientes hoy? with at least two ideas. Then make one sentence about how another person feels.
Estoy un poco cansado, pero estoy de buen humor.
Mi amiga está emocionada.
You want to ask a friend how they feel today. What do you say?
- ¿Cómo te sientes hoy?
- ¿Qué haces hoy?
- ¿Dónde estás hoy?
- ¿A qué hora llegas hoy?
¿Cómo te sientes hoy? asks how someone is feeling today.
¿Cómo te sientes hoy? = How are you feeling today?
You are speaking as feminine. You are a little tired, but in a good mood. Which answer fits?
- Estoy un poco cansada, pero de buen humor.
- Estoy un poco cansado, pero de buen humor.
- Estoy un poco nerviosa, pero de mal humor.
- Soy un poco cansada, pero de buen humor.
Current feelings use estar here, and cansada is the feminine form.
Estoy un poco cansada, pero de buen humor.
You are a little nervous about an interview, but you are also excited. Which response fits?
- Sí, un poco, pero también estoy emocionado.
- Sí, un poco, pero también soy emocionado.
- Tengo emocionado por la entrevista.
- Me siento miedo por la entrevista.
The lesson uses estar with emocionado for this current feeling.
Estoy emocionado. = I'm excited, masculine form.
You want to say “I feel happy” using sentirse. Which sentence fits?
- Me siento feliz.
- Tengo feliz.
- Estoy sentir feliz.
- Soy me feliz.
Me siento feliz uses sentirse to say “I feel happy.”
Me siento feliz. = I feel happy.
You are scared and want the tener expression from the lesson. What do you say?
- Tengo miedo.
- Estoy miedo.
- Me siento miedo.
- Tengo asustado.
Tengo miedo is the fixed tener expression taught in the lesson.
Tengo miedo. = I'm afraid / scared.
Your sister is worried about tomorrow's exam. Which sentence is correct?
- Mi hermana está preocupada por su examen de mañana.
- Mi hermana está preocupado por su examen de mañana.
- Mi hermana es preocupada por su examen de mañana.
- Mi hermana tiene preocupada por su examen de mañana.
Use estar for the current feeling, and preocupada agrees with hermana.
Mi hermana está preocupada.
You and others are excited about exploring a new city. Which sentence fits?
- Estamos emocionados por conocer la nueva ciudad.
- Somos emocionados por conocer la nueva ciudad.
- Tenemos emocionados por conocer la nueva ciudad.
- Estamos emoción por conocer la nueva ciudad.
The lesson uses estamos emocionados for a current shared feeling.
Estamos emocionados. = We're excited.
Which verb does this lesson usually use for how someone feels right now?
- estar
- ser
- ir
- vivir
Estar is the main verb used here for current emotional states.
Use estar for current feelings in this lesson.