Learn 36 emotion words in Spanish with audio. Click any word to hear native pronunciation.
feliz
happy
contento/a
content / pleased
alegre
cheerful
emocionado/a
excited
orgulloso/a
proud
agradecido/a
grateful
tranquilo/a
calm / peaceful
encantado/a
delighted
satisfecho/a
satisfied
Use estar for temporary emotions: Estoy triste (I am sad right now). Use ser for personality traits: Es alegre (She is a cheerful person). This distinction matters — Está aburrido means he is bored, but Es aburrido means he is boring.
triste
sad
enojado/a
angry
furioso/a
furious
preocupado/a
worried
ansioso/a
anxious
asustado/a
scared
frustrado/a
frustrated
decepcionado/a
disappointed
celoso/a
jealous
Some feelings use tener instead of estar: tener miedo (to be afraid), tener vergüenza (to be ashamed), tener celos (to be jealous). These literally translate as to have fear, to have shame, etc.
confundido/a
confused
sorprendido/a
surprised
avergonzado/a
embarrassed
nostálgico/a
nostalgic
nervioso/a
nervous
aburrido/a
bored
cansado/a
tired
estresado/a
stressed
solo/a
lonely
Instead of just Estoy triste, try Me siento triste (I feel sad), Me pone nervioso (It makes me nervous), or Me da miedo (It scares me). These constructions sound more natural in conversation.
tener miedo
to be afraid
tener vergüenza
to be ashamed
estar de buen humor
to be in a good mood
estar de mal humor
to be in a bad mood
sentirse bien
to feel good
sentirse mal
to feel bad
estar harto/a
to be fed up
dar igual
to not care
echar de menos
to miss someone
1. What does 'feliz' mean?
2. How do you say 'angry' in Spanish?
3. What does 'preocupado' mean?
4. How do you say 'scared' in Spanish?
5. 'Estar aburrido' means:
6. How do you say 'to miss someone'?
7. What does 'vergüenza' mean?
8. How do you say 'surprised'?
9. 'Tener miedo' means:
10. What does 'estar de buen humor' mean?
Understanding emotion vocabulary is fundamental to meaningful conversation in Spanish. Whether describing how you feel, asking about someone else, or reading literature, these words appear constantly. Spanish offers rich ways to express feelings beyond simple adjectives.
The choice between ser and estar with emotion adjectives changes meaning significantly. Estar describes current states: Estoy nervioso (I am nervous now). Ser describes inherent traits: Es nervioso (He is a nervous person). Mastering this distinction is key to sounding natural.
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