Spanish Vocabulary: Feelings & Emotions in Spanish

No matter which language you speak, emotions will always be an important part of human interactions. This article will teach you how to express your feelings and emotions in Spanish.

You’ve learned Spanish grammar rules, how to show comparisons, and perhaps some basic vocabulary. Next up: learning a broad spectrum of emotional language, which is key to expressing yourself fully in any language.

As Spanish is one of the romance languages originating from Latin, it’s considered to be a very “emotional” language. This means that you can’t really dive into the nitty-gritty of Spanish before expanding your emotional vocabulary. So, which words and phrases are important to know?

Showing Emotions & Feelings in Spanish

Here are some basic and common words to express emotions or feelings in Spanish. See the infographic below for a visual reminder.

Happiness – la felicidad

Fear – el miedo

Sadness – la tristeza

Anger – el enojo

Tiredness – el cansancio

Jealousy – los celos

Pride – el orgullo

Excitement – el entusiasmo

Pain – el dolor 

Confusion – la confusion

Value – el valor

Pleasure – el placer

Related: How to use accent marks, transition words, and verb conjugations

Finally, remember that since emotions are usually temporary states, you’d generally use estar instead of ser to express yourself.

Are there any other emotions in Spanish you can think of? Ask a Spanish tutor for more suggestions, and of course, continue practicing! To improve your vocabulary even more, learn about cognates and personality adjectives next.