Spanish emotions vocabulary: how to say how you feel
To say how you feel right now, Spanish uses estar plus a feeling adjective: Estoy feliz (I’m happy), Estoy cansado (I’m tired). A mood is a temporary state, so it takes estar, not ser. To ask someone how they are, say ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?).
Below are the everyday feeling words, with an example sentence and audio. After the list, the sections explain why these adjectives go with estar, how they agree with you, and how to use the verb sentir to say the same thing.
| Word | Transcription | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| sentir | /senˈtiɾ/ | feel | Me siento feliz en mi cumpleaños.I feel happy on my birthday. |
| feliz | /feˈliθ/ | happy | El niño está feliz con su juguete nuevo.The kid is happy with his new toy. |
| triste | /ˈtɾiste/ | sad | Ella se siente triste hoy después de malas noticias.She feels sad today after bad news. |
| enfadado | /enfaˈðaðo/ | angry | Él está enfadado y nos grita.He is angry and shouts at us. |
| cansado | /kanˈsaðo/ | tired | Los adultos están cansados hoy después de un trabajo largo.Adults are tired today after long work. |
| aburrido | /abuˈriðo/ | bored | Estoy aburrido sin nada que hacer.I am bored with nothing to do. |
| asustado | /asusˈtaðo/ | scared | Estoy asustado del perro grande.I am scared of the big dog. |
| sorprendido | /soɾpɾenˈdiðo/ | surprised | Estoy sorprendido.I am surprised. |
| emocionado | /emoθjoˈnaðo/ | excited | Estoy emocionado por mi nuevo trabajo.I am excited about my new job. |
| preocupado | /pɾeokuˈpaðo/ | worried | Estoy preocupado por mi salud.I am worried about my health. |
| nervioso | /neɾˈβjoso/ | nervous | Me siento nervioso antes del examen.I feel nervous before the test. |
Feelings take estar
A feeling describes how you are at this moment, so it belongs with estar. The same verb you sort out in ser vs estar — the one for states and conditions — is the one that carries every mood here.
Estoy feliz hoy.
I’m happy today.Está triste porque su amigo se fue.
He’s sad because his friend left.Después del trabajo estoy muy cansado.
After work I’m very tired.
You do not need ser for any of these. Ser would point to identity or a lasting trait, while a feeling is a current state.
Adjectives agree with you
The feeling word matches the gender and number of the person who feels it. A man says cansado, a woman says cansada, and a group says cansados or cansadas.
Estoy cansado. / Estoy cansada.
I’m tired. (said by a man / by a woman)Estamos nerviosos antes del examen.
We’re nervous before the exam.Las niñas están asustadas.
The girls are scared.
Adjectives ending in -e, like triste and feliz, do not change for gender — only for number: Estamos tristes (We’re sad).
More feelings and the verb sentir
There is a second natural way to say how you feel: sentirse (to feel) plus the same adjective. It agrees with you exactly like estar does.
Me siento feliz.
I feel happy.¿Cómo te sientes hoy?
How do you feel today?Nos sentimos emocionados por el viaje.
We feel excited about the trip.
Both estoy feliz and me siento feliz work; estar is the shorter everyday choice, and sentirse puts a little more focus on the feeling itself.
Common mistakes
Using ser for a passing mood
A feeling today takes estar. Ser feliz does exist, but it means being a happy person as a lasting trait, not your mood right now.
Soy feliz hoy.→ Estoy feliz hoy.
I’m happy today.
Forgetting the agreement
The adjective must match the person. A woman says cansada, not cansado, even after está.
Ella está cansado.→ Ella está cansada.
She’s tired.
“Estoy aburrido” vs “soy aburrido”
With estar the adjective is a current feeling; with ser it becomes a trait. Switching the verb turns “bored” into “boring”.
Estoy aburrido.
I’m bored (right now).Soy aburrido.
I’m boring (as a person).
Saying how you feel comes up in every quick check-in, so in Fluera you meet each feeling word inside a short answer to ¿Cómo estás?, hear how it sounds, and match the adjective to estoy, está or estamos. Turn these moods into sentences you can actually say when you practice Spanish.
Practice
Question 1 of 11
Frequently asked questions
How do you say how you feel in Spanish?
estar plus a feeling adjective: Estoy feliz (I'm happy), Estoy cansado/cansada (I'm tired), Estoy nervioso/nerviosa (I'm nervous). To ask someone else, say ¿Cómo estás? ("How are you?").Do feelings use ser or estar?
estar, because they describe how you are right now — a temporary state. Ser feliz exists, but it means being a happy person as a lasting trait, not your mood today.