How do you say how you feel — in Spanish?
Thirty-five emotions, from the everyday to the complicated, each with the Spanish word, a simple pronunciation guide, and a real sentence you can actually use.
Ser vs. Estar
Emotions almost always use estar, not ser — because feelings are usually temporary, not fixed traits.
Endings change with gender
Many emotion words end in -o for masculine speakers and -a for feminine speakers.
Some words never change
Words ending in -e or a consonant, like triste or feliz, stay the same for everyone.
The core six
UniversalThe basic emotions almost every language names first — the building blocks everything else is built from.
Bright & positive
Feel-goodThe emotions you want more of — useful for describing good days, good news, and good people.
Heavy & hard
DifficultHard feelings need words too. These let you name what’s going on instead of just saying “mal.”
Tangled & complex
In-betweenFeelings that aren’t simply good or bad — the ones that need more nuance to explain.
Body & energy
Physical statesNot always classified as “emotions,” but Spanish speakers describe these the same way — with estar.
One more thing
Feelings are rarely just one word. Real fluency is being able to combine these — “un poco triste pero esperanzado” (a little sad but hopeful) — instead of reaching for the nearest single adjective.
