One of the first things you need to learn when starting to study Spanish is how to express emotions and feelings. You’ll be able to have much more natural conversations with people if you can express how you’re feeling. Learning how to express your emotions in Spanish will help you connect with native speakers on a deeper level, and you’ll be able to communicate more effectively overall.
However, there’s a big difference between expressing emotions or feelings (temporary) and describing a person’s character (permanent, for the most part).
When referring to personality traits and temporary emotions in Spanish, different verbs must be used; and sometimes choosing one verb over another can have profound differences in meaning.
Eg. “Ricardo es aburrido. No lo invites a la fiesta de esta noche”. (Personality)
“Ricardo is boring. Don’t invite him to the party tonight.”
“Ricardo está aburrido. No encuentra nada entretenido para hacer”.
“Ricardo is bored. He can’t find anything amusing to do.” (Feeling)
Today we will learn how to answer the typical question that generally starts a conversation in Spanish: “¿Cómo estás? / ¿Cómo te sientes?” (“How are you? / How are you feeling?”), as opposed to “¿Cómo eres?” (What are you like?) We will also learn how to talk about physical sensations like being thirsty or hungry.
Asking about emotions and feelings in Spanish
When we greet someone, it is very common to ask them how they are feeling. In Spanish we would do this as follows:
| Asking about feelings | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | English |
| Rosa: ¡Hola, Juana! ¿Cómo estás? Juana: ¡Hola, Rosa! Todo bien, ¿y tú/vos? | Rosa: Hello, Juana! How are you? Juana: Hi, Rosa! Everything’s fine. And you? |
| Rosa: ¡Hola, Juana! ¿Cómo va todo? Juana: ¡Hola, Rosa! Todo bien, ¿y tú/vos? | Rosa: Hi, Juana! How’s it going? Juana: Hi, Rosa! Everything’s fine. And you? |
| Rosa: ¡Hola, Juana! ¿Que tal todo? Juana: ¡Hola, Rosa! Todo va bien, gracias. | Rosa: Hi, Juana! How’s everything going? Juana: ¡Hi, Rosa! Everything’s fine, thanks. |
If we know that this person has been under pressure or feeling, for example, sad lately, we may ask:
| Asking about feelings | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | English |
| Rosa: ¡Hola, Juana! ¿Cómo te sientes? Juana: ¡Hola, Rosa! Estoy mejor, gracias. | Rosa: Hello, Juana! How are you feeling? Juana: Hi, Rosa! I’m feeling better, thanks. |
| Rosa: ¡Hola, Juana! ¿Cómo estás hoy/ahora? Juana: ¡Hola, Rosa! Estoy mejor, gracias. | Rosa: Hi, Juana! How are you today/now? Juana: Hi, Rosa! I’m feeling better, thanks. |
And in case we notice that someone looks sad, worried or so, we might ask:
| Asking about feelings | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | English |
| Rosa: ¡Hola, Juana! No tienes buen semblante ¿Qué te pasa? Juana: Hola, Rosa. No me siento bien hoy. Gracias por preguntar. | Rosa: Hello, Juana! You don’t look well. What’s the matter? Juana: Hi, Rosa. I’m not feeling well today. Thanks for asking. |
| Rosa: ¡Hola, Juana! No tienes buen semblante ¿Qué te sucede? Juana: Hola, Rosa. No me siento bien hoy. Gracias por preguntar. | Rosa: Hello, Juana! You don’t look well. What’s the matter? Juana: Hi, Rosa. I’m not feeling well today. Thanks for asking. |
| Rosa: ¡Hola, Juana! No tienes buen semblante ¿Qué te ocurre? Juana: Hola, Rosa. No me siento bien hoy. Gracias por preguntar. | Rosa: Hello, Juana! You don’t look well. What’s the matter? Juana: Hi, Rosa. I’m not feeling well today. Thanks for asking. |
SER and ESTAR
Depending on which one of these verbs we use, we will convey a different meaning.
- SER is used to refer to personality traits:
Eg. “María es muy ansiosa. No sabe esperar”.
“María is a very anxious person. She can never wait.”
- ESTAR is used to refer to temporary emotions:
Eg. “María está ansiosa porque hoy tiene un examen difícil”.
“María is anxious because has a hard exam today”.
Emotions and feelings in Spanish
In Spanish we can use the verbs ESTAR and SENTIRSE to express emotions. Look!
| Talking about feelings | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | English |
| Hoy me siento un poco cansada. | I’m feeling a bit tired today. |
| ¿Cómo te sientes hoy? | How are you feeling today? |
| Pedro se siente triste. | Pedro feels sad. |
| Mi amiga y yo nos sentimos enojadas. | My friend and I feel angry. |
| Tú y tu hermano no se sienten bien. | You and you brother aren’t feeling well. |
| Mis padres se sienten sorprendidos. | My parents feel surprised. |
| Hoy estoy un poco cansada. | I’m a bit tired today. |
| ¿Cómo estás hoy? | How are you today? |
| Pedro está triste. | Pedro is sad. |
| Mi amiga y yo estamos enojadas. | My friend and I are angry. |
| Tu hermano y tú no están bien. | You and your brother aren’t well. |
| Mis padres están sorprendidos. | My parents are surprised. |
When talking about physical sensations, we use the verb TENER followed by a noun.
| Talking about feelings | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | English |
| Tengo hambre. | I’m hungry. |
| ¿Tienes frío? | Are you cold? |
| María tiene sed. | María is thirsty. |
| Nosotros tenemos calor. | We’re hot. |
| Ustedes tienen sueño. | You’re tired/You’re sleepy |
Some feelings are naturally temporary and they can only be preceded by the verb ESTAR
| Talking about feelings | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | English |
| ESTAR nervioso/nerviosa | Being nervous |
| ESTAR contento/contenta | Being happy |
| ESTAR preocupado/preocupada | Being worried |
| ESTAR cansado/a | Being tired |
| ESTAR enfermo/a | Being ill |
| ESTAR sorprendido/sorprendida | Being surprised |
| ESTAR dormido/dormida | Being asleep |
| ESTAR enojado/enojada | Being angry |
| ESTAR asustado | Being afraid |
| ESTAR confundido | Being confused |
| ESTAR avergonzado | Being ashamed |
| ESTAR enamorado | Being in love |
| ESTAR decepcionado | Being disappointed |
Take note:
The adjective contento/a always refers to a temporary feeling and so it is always preceded by the verb ESTAR, but feliz can be followed by both SER and ESTAR, depending on whether we’re describing a temporary or a permanent characteristic.
Eg. Los niños están felices/contentos con el perro nuevo. (Temporary)
The kids are happy with the new dog.
Los niños son felices. (Permanent)
The kids are happy.
Sometimes, different adjectives are required to describe temporary versus permanent states.
Eg. Juan está deprimido.
Juan is depressed.
Juan es depresivo.
Juan is depressive.
