Spanish Emotions Vocabulary: Emotions Words in Spanish

Spanish Emotions Vocabulary

Start with the most common words, then expand your knowledge with intermediate and advanced vocabulary.

Beginner (A1)

bored aburrido/aburrida
cheerful alegre
frightened asustado/asustada
confused confundido/confundida
content contento/contenta
amused divertido/divertida
excited emocionado/emocionada
angry enojado/enojada
happy feliz
impatient impaciente
nervous nervioso/nerviosa
surprised sorprendido/sorprendida
calm tranquilo/tranquila
sad triste
shy tímido/tímida

Elementary (A2)

exhausted agotado/agotada
grateful agradecido/agradecida
relieved aliviado/aliviada
loving amoroso/amorosa
anxious ansioso/ansiosa
disgusted asqueado/asqueada
ashamed avergonzado/avergonzada
affectionate cariñoso/cariñosa
jealous celoso/celosa
pleased complacido/complacida
disappointed decepcionado/decepcionada
depressed deprimido/deprimida
delighted encantado/encantada
enthusiastic entusiasta
frustrated frustrado/frustrada
irritated irritado/irritada
grumpy malhumorado/malhumorada
miserable miserable
proud orgulloso/orgullosa
satisfied satisfecho/satisfecha
lonely solitario/solitaria
tense tenso/tensa
bashful vergonzoso/vergonzosa

Intermediate & Advanced (B1-C1)

overwhelmed abrumado/abrumada
distressed angustiado/angustiada
regretful arrepentido/arrepentida
terrified aterrorizado/aterrorizada
guilty culpable
doubtful dudoso/dudosa
hopeful esperanzado/esperanzada
weary fatigado/fatigada
humbled humilde
indifferent indiferente
restless inquieto/inquieta
insecure inseguro/insegura
intimidated intimidado/intimidada
offended ofendido/ofendida
optimistic optimista
pessimistic pesimista
rejected rechazado/rechazada
gloomy sombrío/sombría
yearning anhelante
apathetic apático/apática
compassionate compasivo/compasiva
dismayed consternado/consternada
defiant desafiante
heartbroken desconsolado/desconsolada
despairing desesperado/desesperada
empathetic empático/empática
ecstatic extasiado/extasiada
elated exultante
hostile hostil
melancholic melancólico/melancólica
nostalgic nostálgico/nostálgica
thoughtful reflexivo/reflexiva
resentful resentido/resentida
sympathetic compasivo/compasiva
vulnerable vulnerable
sullen hosco/hosca
paranoid paranoico/paranoica

Example Sentences

In proper context. With highlighted verbs and adjectives.

Beginner & Elementary (A1-A2)

Essential sentences demonstrating everyday emotional states using basic verbs and descriptive adjectives.

María llora cuando escucha una canción triste. María cries when she hears a sad song.
El niño sonríe porque está contento. The boy smiles because he is happy.
Ella siente alegría por la noticia. She feels joy because of the news.
El padre abraza a su hijo con amor. The father hugs his son with love.
El hombre grita cuando está enojado. The man shouts when he is angry.
Mi hermana se siente muy feliz hoy. My sister feels very happy today.
El estudiante está triste por el examen. The student is sad about the test.
Después de trabajar, estoy agotado. After working, I am exhausted.
La doctora está nerviosa antes de la reunión. The doctor is nervous before the meeting.
El perro duerme muy tranquilo en la cama. The dog sleeps very peacefully on the bed.

Intermediate & Advanced (B1-C1)

More complex expressions covering nuanced feelings, psychological states, and advanced emotional verbs.

Él lamenta no haber tomado una decisión antes. He regrets not making a decision sooner.
El profesor demuestra mucha empatía con sus alumnos. The teacher shows a lot of empathy with his students.
Ella supera sus miedos con paciencia y apoyo. She overcomes her fears with patience and support.
El poeta expresa su nostalgia en cada verso. The poet expresses his nostalgia in every line.
Juan disimula su frustración delante de los clientes. Juan hides his frustration in front of the clients.
Me siento totalmente abrumado por tantas tareas pendientes. I feel completely overwhelmed by so many pending tasks.
La madre estaba desesperada al no encontrar sus llaves. The mother was desperate when she couldn't find her keys.
Carlos se pone nostálgico cuando mira fotos antiguas. Carlos gets nostalgic when he looks at old photos.
Es normal sentirse vulnerable en situaciones difíciles. It is normal to feel vulnerable in difficult situations.
El vecino volvió muy paranoico después de ese incidente. The neighbor became very paranoid after that incident.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions about expressing emotions, mood transitions, and regional variations in Spanish.

In Spanish, using estar describes a temporary state or feeling, whereas ser describes an inherent personality trait or characteristic.

Estar aburrido: To feel bored at this moment (e.g., Estoy aburrido en la clase).
Ser aburrido: To be a boring person or thing (e.g., Ese libro es muy aburrido).
Estar alegre: To be in a cheerful mood right now.
Ser alegre: To have a cheerful or happy personality in general.
Estar orgulloso: To feel proud of an achievement (e.g., Estoy orgulloso de ti).
Ser orgulloso: To be an arrogant or overly proud person.

Spanish uses several reflexive verbs to express transitions into different emotional states instead of relying on a single verb like 'to get'.

Ponerse + adjective: Used for quick or temporary changes in mood (e.g., Se puso triste al escuchar la canción - He got sad upon hearing the song).
Quedarse + adjective: Expresses a state resulting from a specific event or surprise (e.g., Me quedé sorprendido - I was left surprised).
Volverse + adjective: Indicates a deeper, more permanent change in mood or temperament (e.g., Se volvió muy paranoico).
Sentirse + adjective: Focuses on experiencing an emotion directly (e.g., Me siento aliviado - I feel relieved).

To express empathy or react appropriately to someone sharing their feelings, Spanish speakers use several key conversational phrases.

¡Qué alegría!: How wonderful! / How great!
¡Qué lástima! / ¡Qué pena!: What a pity! / What a shame!
Me alegro mucho por ti: I'm really happy for you.
Siento mucho que estés así: I'm so sorry you feel this way.
No te preocupes, todo saldrá bien: Don't worry, everything will turn out fine.

Spanish has a rich scale of adjectives to describe varying intensities of fear, anxiety, and distress.

Asustado/a: Frightened or startled by a sudden event or shock.
Nervioso/a: Nervous or uneasy about an upcoming situation.
Ansioso/a: Anxious or filled with anticipation/restlessness.
Angustiado/a: Distressed, agonized, or deeply anxious due to uncertainty.
Aterrorizado/a: Terrified; experiencing severe, paralyzing fear.

Yes, while the standard adjectives are understood everywhere, regional preferences and colloquial terms vary significantly across the Spanish-speaking world.

Enojado/a: The most common term in Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Enfadado/a: The preferred everyday term in Spain.
Bravo/a: Widely used in Colombia, Venezuela, and parts of the Caribbean to mean angry or mad.
Emputado/a: A widespread, vulgar slang term across Latin America meaning extremely pissed off.

Spanish Emotions Vocabulary