Emotions in Spanish: 50 Helpful Methods to Describe Your Feelings

Names of Emotions in Spanish

We’ll begin by going over a few of the names of emotions—in any other case generally known as nouns. These phrases are nouns as a result of they don’t describe a state or feeling, they are a state or feeling.

They’re tremendous helpful to be taught in your journey to expressing your self in Spanish, so let’s take a look:

Optimistic Feelings

Destructive Feelings

Verbs To Discuss About Emotions 

In English, we use one verb to explain the best way we really feel: “to be.” For instance, “I’m unhappy,” “you’re joyful,” “he’s thirsty.”

However in Spanish, we use a number of phrases—primarily estar (to be), sentirse (to really feel), dar (to provide) and tener (to have).

The verb estar is used with adjectives.

That is just like how we use “to be” in English when describing emotions.

Estoy alegre porque mañana es mi cumpleaños.
(I’m joyful as a result of tomorrow is my birthday.)

Ella está deprimida porque su novio rompió con ella.
(She’s depressed as a result of her boyfriend broke up together with her.)

Use sentirse as we’d use “to really feel” in English.

For instance:

Siempre me siento cansado porque trabajo por las noches.
(I all the time really feel drained as a result of I work nights.)

Se siente enfermo, así que vamos al consultorio médico.
(He feels sick, so we’re going to the physician’s workplace.)

Use tener for emotions which can be nouns.

You might need observed that tener is used for emotions like “thirsty” and “hungry.” It is because these emotions are thought of nouns in Spanish, whereas they’re adjectives in English.

For emotions which can be nouns, we use tener.

Tengo hambre porque debí haber desayunado a las 8, pero ya son las 10.
(I’m hungry as a result of I ought to have eaten breakfast at 8, however now it’s 10.)

Mi prima tiene sueño porque su vuelo aterrizó a las 4 de la mañana.
(My cousin is drained as a result of her flight landed at 4 o’clock within the morning.)

Frequent emotions phrases that use tener embrace:

Use dar to explain emotions which can be inflicted on you.

Lastly, dar describes emotions which have been “given” to us or “inflicted” upon us.

For instance, we are saying “spiders make me scared” in English, however in Spanish, we’d say “spiders give me concern.”

Me da miedo pensar en la muerte.
(It scares me to consider loss of life.)

Las películas de terror le dan miedo a mi esposo.
(Horror motion pictures scare my husband.)

Nos da vergüenza bailar.
(We really feel embarrassed to bounce)

Adjective Placement in Spanish

In the event you’re aware of Spanish grammar, you in all probability already know that adjectives normally come after nouns—el vestido rojo (the purple costume, actually “the costume purple”), la casa blanca (the white home, actually “the home white”) and so on.

However not all emotions are adjectives (as we found when utilizing the verbs tener and dar).

And when they’re adjectives, they don’t describe nouns. They describe our state of being.

Due to this, emotions all the time come after the verb. For instance:

Estoy cansado (I’m drained)

Me da miedo (It scares me)

Tiene celos (she’s jealous)

Me siento feliz (I really feel joyful)

Utilizing the Subjunctive With Emotions

The Spanish subjunctive is a temper that almost all learners research within the higher intermediate levels of studying. It’s generally used when speaking about emotions, because it’s used to precise:

• Impersonal expressions
• Opinions, feelings or factors of view
• Denial, disagreement or resolution
• Describing conditions which can be uncertain or unlikely

It’s also important to note that typically, the pattern “verb + que” triggers the subjunctive, such as espero que (I hope that…), deseo que (I wish that…), dudo que… (I doubt that…) etc.

So, if you wish to add more detail to your “feelings” phrases, you’ll most likely need to use que or de que followed by the subjunctive to express yourself!

Let’s look at some examples:

Me molesta que siempre llegue tarde.
It annoys me that he always arrives late.

No importa que no quieras ir, tienes que ir igual.
It doesn’t matter that you don’t want to go, you have to go anyway. 

Estoy feliz de que vengas mañana. 
I’m happy that you’re coming tomorrow.

Common Emotions and Feelings in Spanish

1. Happiness in Spanish

Let’s start with some basic phrases and vocabulary to let your Spanish friends know you’re happy. With these basic phrases, you’ll be able to express your satisfaction perfectly fine in any social situation.

We’re also throwing in some colloquial phrases to spice up your speech.

1. Estoy contento — I’m happy

Literally, “I am content.” You can use contento/a depending on your gender to express general happiness or satisfaction.

Estoy contento de haber encontrado mis llaves.
(I’m happy that I’ve found my keys.)

2. Estoy feliz — I’m happy

Although contento and feliz have similar meanings, feliz implies more enthusiastic or joyful happiness and is less commonly used.

Estoy feliz de haber realizado mis sueños.
(I’m happy that I have accomplished all of my dreams.)

3. Me alegro — I’m happy, glad

Me alegro comes from the reflexive verb alegrarse (to be happy). It means “I’m happy” or “I’m glad,” frequently used the way that English speakers would say, “I’m happy to hear that.”

Me siento mucho mejor.
(I feel so much better.)

Bien, me alegro.
(Good, I’m happy to hear that.)

4. Pasárselo pipa — To have a great time

This phrase invokes the pipas (sunflower seeds) so common in Spanish bars, meaning “to have a great time.”

¡Me lo estoy pasando pipa!
(I’m having a great time!)

It also works well in the past tense:

Me lo pasé pipa.
(I had a great time).

5. Flipé, flipé en, flipé con  — To flip out

This phrase is similar to the English “I flipped out,” expressing happiness, awe and enjoyment.

Use the word alone, or get more specific using flipé en (I flipped out on/at/in) or flipé con (I freaked out with).

Flipé en el concierto anoche.
(I flipped out at the concert last night.)

You can also use the verb alucinar (to hallucinate) similarly.

6. ¡Toma! — Yes!

This expression, the command form of the verb tomar (to take), expresses excitement, happiness or triumph.

Use this when your soccer team scores a goal, you get a high grade on your Spanish exam, or you find out the shoes you’ve been dreaming of are finally on sale.

Los zapatos finalmente están a la venta. ¡Toma!
(The shoes are finally on sale. Yes!)

2. Approval in Spanish

Living in Spain, I’ve met a ton of friendly people who are eager to show me all of the cultural, artistic and culinary wonders that their country has to offer.

After every tapa (appetizer, finger food), picturesque village and new Spanish song, they ask me, “So? What do you think?”

If you get tired of the basic phrases, you can also mix it up with some advanced colloquial expressions later on in the list.

Sometimes, being able to express your indifference is just as important as being able to express a strong emotion!

Here are basic phrases to let people know when you just really don’t care, and some advanced ones to express varying degrees of disinterest.

14. No importa  — It doesn’t matter

The verb importar means “to matter” or “to be important.”

No importa.
(It doesn’t matter.)

For a slightly more direct or aggressive effect, you can also say this:

No me importa.
(I don’t care.)

Of course, vocal tone also influences how your words are interpreted.

The verb importar functions grammatically like the verb gustar, meaning that if you’re talking about multiple things that do not matter, you should say:

No importan.
(They don’t matter.)

15. Me da igual — I don’t care

Literally translated, this phrase is “it gives me equal.” It actually means “I don’t care” or “it’s all the same to me.”

Me da igual can sound polite or aggressive, depending on vocal tone.

¿Quieres ir al restaurante chino o al restaurante italiano?
(Do you want to go to the Chinese restaurant or the Italian restaurant?)

Me da igual, a mí me gustan los dos.
(I don’t care, I like them both.)

16. Como quieras — Whatever you want, as you wish

This phrase means “whatever you want” or “as you wish.” It’s commonly used to express indifference about an idea or decision.

Voy a preparar la cena. ¿Quieres pescado o pollo?
(I’m going to make dinner. Do you want fish or chicken?)

Me da igual, como quieras.
(It doesn’t matter to me, whatever you want.)

17. Estoy aburrido  — I’m bored

Estoy aburrido/a is “I’m bored.” Simple as that!

Estoy aburrido de ese libro.
(I’m bored of that book.)

Be careful not to mix up ser and estar here. Soy aburrido means “I’m boring.”

However, when you want to describe things as boring rather than saying you’re bored, use the verb ser instead of estar.

Estos libros son aburridos.
(These books are boring.)

Esa película es aburrida.
(That movie is boring.)

18. Me importa tres pepinos — I don’t care

Literally, this one means “it matters three cucumbers to me.”

This phrase can be used to express how much you really, really don’t care about something.

While me da igual or no importa can be interpreted as either polite or impolite, this phrase is definitively dismissive in nature.

¿Qué quieres cenar?
(What do you want to eat for dinner?)

Me importa tres pepinos.
(I don’t care.)

If cucumbers aren’t your style, feel free to use one of these food-based variations:

Me importa un pimiento (lit. it matters one pepper to me)

Me importa un comino (lit. it matters one cumin to me)

19. Nada del otro mundo — It’s nothing special

This phrase translates to “nothing from the other world.”

It’s roughly equivalent to the English phrase “nothing out of this world.” Use it to describe something that’s just okay or not particularly exciting.

¿Qué opinas de esta canción?
(What do you think of this song?)

Nada del otro mundo.
(It’s nothing special.)

20. Regular — Just okay, not so great

This false friend does not mean the same as its English equivalent. Rather, the Spanish word regular is colloquially used to mean “just okay” or “not so great.”

For example, if you’re feeling under the weather, you might tell somebody:

Me siento regular.
(I don’t feel so great.)

In this case, regular expresses neither great enthusiasm nor great discomfort.

You can also use regular to express opinions. For example:

¿Cómo fue la película?
(How was the movie?)

Eh, regular.
(Eh, it was just okay.)

4. Dislike in Spanish

It’s important to know how to tell people when you disapprove of something.

Use these easy phrases to let others know you’re feeling frustrated, dissatisfied or annoyed.

21. No me gusta — I don’t like

This, of course, is merely the opposite of me gusta.

No me gusta means “it doesn’t please me” or “I don’t like it.”

As with me gusta, you will generally only see this verb conjugated in the “he/she/it” or “they” forms for singular or plural objects, respectively.

No me gusta el libro.
(I don’t like the book.)

No me gustan estos libros.
(I don’t like these books.)

For describing actions, use the infinitive:

No me gusta jugar al tenis.
(I don’t like playing tennis.)

Use the subjunctive to describe the actions of others:

No me gusta que me hables así.
(I don’t like that you talk to me like that.)

22. Me molesta — It bothers me

This false friend means, “It bothers me.” Again, it functions like gustar, so use me molesta for singular objects and me molestan for plural objects.

Me molesta el viento.
(The wind is bothering me.)

Me molestan las moscas.
(The flies are bothering me.)

Looking for other ways to talk about things that bother you? You can also use these:

Me fastidia (It upsets me)

Me agobia (It overwhelms me)

Me preocupa (It worries me)

23. Es un rollo — It’s a pain in the neck, it’s a mess

Un rollo is something annoying, complicated or frustrating.

English equivalents include “it’s a mess” or “it’s a pain in the neck.”

For example, if you spent all morning cleaning your house after a party, you might later complain to a friend like this:

Fue un rollo.
(It was a pain in the neck.)

24. Pesado — Tedious, boring

Literally “heavy,” this adjective is commonly used to describe annoying people and things. To express that you’ve been having a long or difficult day, you could say:

El día ha sido muy pesado.
(It’s been a long day.)

25. Me da la lata — [Something] is getting on my nerves

What does it mean for someone to “give me the can?”

Colloquially, it means that someone is getting on your nerves. If one of my ESL students was acting out or talking during class, I could later say:

Él me está dando la lata hoy.
(He’s getting on my nerves today.)

5. Anger in Spanish

Sometimes you just have to let it all out. Feeling angry? These adjectives will help you make yourself understood.

And when the basics just don’t suffice to express the extent of your anger, blow off some steam with advanced phrases.

26. Enfadado , Enojado — Angry

These two adjectives both mean “angry.” In my experience, enfadado/a is more common in Spain, while enojado/a is generally used in Latin America.

Estoy enfadada porque perdí en los videojuegos.
(I am angry because I lost the video game.)

Both words also have a reflexive verb form: enfadarse and enojarse (to get angry). Use the forms me enfada or me enoja (it makes me angry).

Me enojo cuando pierdo en los videojuegos.
(I get angry when I lose video games.)

Me enfada perder en los videojuegos.
(It makes me angry to lose video games.)

27. Me da rabia — It enrages me

A step beyond simple anger, this phrase directly translates to “it gives me rage” or “it enrages me.” Use this for particularly strong or serious opinions.

Me da rabia el gobierno de este país.
(The government of this country enrages me.)

28. ¡Me cago en el mar! — To feel enraged

Spain has some truly expressive phrases, and this is one of my favorites. The next time you’re feeling enraged, use this phrase:

¡Me cago en el mar!
(I take a crap in the sea!)

Despite the shocking visual imagery, this phrase is not vulgar and can be said by children or in front of children.

Spain has many fun phrases that begin with me cago en.

Me cago en la leche (lit. I take a crap in the milk)

Me cago en diez (lit. I take a crap in ten)

There are several others. But they’re too shocking to say here.

29. ¡Jolín! — Darn!

This exclamation expresses shock and anger, like the English “darn!” or “oh, come on!”

Use it when you stub your toe, when you crack your cell phone screen, when it starts raining the moment you leave the house or in any other unexpected and frustrating situation.

¡Jolín! Olvidé mi paraguas!
(Darn! I forgot my umbrella.)

6. Surprise in Spanish

If you really want to blend in and sound like a native speaker, you might want to try out some of these interjections of surprise.

Keep practicing—eventually, they will work their way into your everyday vocabulary.

30. ¡Anda!  — Wow!

The command form of the verb andar (to walk), this exclamation expresses subdued, mild or pleasant surprise. It’s like the English phrases “how about that!” or “huh!” but it can also mean “wow!”

¡Anda! Hace tiempo que no nos vemos.
(Wow! Long time no see.)

31. ¡Hostia! — Jesus!

What better way to express surprise than by referring to holy communion bread?

That is the literal meaning of the word hostia, one of Spain’s most common slang words.

Although the word has various meanings depending on its context, it’s an exclamation of surprise on its own, similar to “Jesus!” or “damn it!”

It can be positive or negative depending on vocal tone and nonverbal communication.

So, feel free to shout it when your favorite soccer player scores a near-impossible goal, or when you realize you locked your keys in the car.

¡Hostia! ¿Dónde ha ido el tiempo?
(Jesus! Where has the time gone?)

32. ¡Ostras! — Jeez!

“Oysters!”

A more polite (and less sacrilegious) version of hostia, ostras is Spain’s version of “oh my gosh!” or “jeez!”

¡Ostras! Esa es una gran comida.
(Jeez! That’s a big meal.)

Expressions like these are abundant in Spanish, and the best way to learn as many of them as possible is by talking with native speakers and consuming Spanish content.

You can do this on language exchange apps like HelloTalk and immersion programs like FluentU.

FluentU takes authentic videos like movie trailers, music videos and TV series clips and turns them into Spanish lessons by adding interactive subtitles to them.

This helps you spot colloquial expressions, slang like ¡Ostras! and much more—which is especially useful if you’re focusing on a particular Spanish dialect.

33. ¡Madre mía! — Oh dear!

I always hear this versatile phrase, used to express varying degrees of shock.

It can be used for positive and negative surprises, directly translating as “my mother!” but is closer to the meaning “oh dear!”

¡Madre mía! Llego tarde al trabajo.
(Oh dear! I’m late for work.)

7. Love in Spanish

If you’re lucky enough to get hit with Cupid’s arrow, don’t let your lack of Spanish hold you back.

These phrases to express love and affection in Spanish will help your relationships flourish!

Concern is one other inevitable emotion that we expertise in life—it’s all a part of being human!

And in spite of everything, what’s life with no little bit of unpredictability? 

46. Estoy asustado — I’m scared

Estoy asustado/a = “I’m scared.”

This can be a good, easy phrase that’ll come in useful whenever you least count on it!

Es mi primera vez en un avión. Estoy asustado.
(It’s my first time on a airplane. I’m scared.)

47. Tengo miedo — I’m scared

Tener miedo means, actually, “to have concern,” and is used to precise that you simply’re scared or afraid.

I take advantage of it rather more typically than estoy asustado as a result of tengo miedo (I’m afraid) is extra versatile.

It may be used by itself or as a part of a phrase to precise that you simply’re apprehensive about or afraid of one thing particularly. 

Notice that in the event you’re referring to one thing, you’ll want to make use of a preposition—like a (to) or de que (that)—and typically the subjunctive after the phrase. 

Tiene miedo a los tiburones.
(He’s afraid of sharks.)

Tengo miedo de que me dejes. 
(I’m scared that you simply’ll go away me.)

48. ¡Qué susto! — What a scare!

This phrase is used by itself as an exclamation.

You need to use it to precise shock or struggle on behalf of your self or to empathize with another person in the event that they’re telling you a couple of horrifying expertise that they had—nice for rapport constructing!

Qué susto truly means “what a scare” which could sound a bit insincere to English audio system. However don’t fear, it’s completely well mannered and customary amongst Spanish audio system.

¿De dónde saliste? ¡Qué susto!
(The place did you come from? What a scare!)

49. ¡Qué miedo! — How scary!

In the identical vein as qué susto, now we have qué miedo.

Nonetheless, this interjection can be used much less to precise shock and extra for a fright or whenever you discover one thing scary.

¡Qué miedo da esa casa encantada!
(How scary is that haunted home!)

50. Cagado de miedo — I’m scared sh*tless

Lastly, now we have cagado/a de miedo. Consistent with an earlier phrase pertaining to taking a crap within the ocean, this gem interprets to “scared sh*tless.”

Estaba cagada de miedo cuando vi su cara.
(I used to be scared sh*tless after I noticed his face.)

With the ability to categorical your emotions precisely is likely one of the indicators that you simply’re fluent in a second language.

It’s no straightforward job, however preserve training and shortly you’ll really feel like you possibly can actually be your self in Spanish!

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