A1.25: Emotions and feelings

Emociones y sentimientos

Learn to express emotions and feelings in Spanish, including key verbs like 'sentirse' and the difference between 'ser' and 'estar'. Practice common adjectives for positive and negative emotions, useful dialogue examples, and verb conjugations at the A1 beginner level.

Listening & reading materials

Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.

A1.25.1 Diálogo

¿Cómo te sientes?

How are you feeling?


Vocabulary (18)

 Sonreír (to smile) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Sonreír

Show

To smile Show

 Tranquilo: Calm (Spanish)

Tranquilo

Show

Calm Show

 Nervioso: Nervous (Spanish)

Nervioso

Show

Nervous Show

 Aburrido: Bored (Spanish)

Aburrido

Show

Bored Show

 Feliz: happy (Spanish)

Feliz

Show

Happy Show

 Triste: Sad (Spanish)

Triste

Show

Sad Show

 Contento: Happy (Spanish)

Contento

Show

Happy Show

 Enfadado: Angry (Spanish)

Enfadado

Show

Angry Show

 Cansado: Tired (Spanish)

Cansado

Show

Tired Show

 Sorprendido: Surprised (Spanish)

Sorprendido

Show

Surprised Show

 Asustado: Frightened (Spanish)

Asustado

Show

Frightened Show

 Confundido: Confused (Spanish)

Confundido

Show

Confused Show

 Sentirse (to feel) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Sentirse

Show

To feel Show

 Enfadarse (to get angry) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Enfadarse

Show

To get angry Show

 Deprimido: Depressed (Spanish)

Deprimido

Show

Depressed Show

 Bien: Well (Spanish)

Bien

Show

Well Show

 Mal: badly (Spanish)

Mal

Show

Badly Show

 Entender (to understand) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Entender

Show

To understand Show

Exercises

These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.

Exercise 1: Reorder sentences

Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.

Show answers
1.
hace | Estoy | sol. | hoy | porque | contento
Estoy contento hoy porque hace sol.
(I am happy today because it is sunny.)
2.
antes del | examen. | Mi amigo | está nervioso
Mi amigo está nervioso antes del examen.
(My friend is nervous before the exam.)
3.
siempre está | su trabajo. | Ella es | profesora y | feliz en
Ella es profesora y siempre está feliz en su trabajo.
(She is a teacher and is always happy at her job.)
4.
estás | ¿Por | ¿Quieres | hablar? | qué | triste?
¿Por qué estás triste? ¿Quieres hablar?
(Why are you sad? Do you want to talk?)
5.
mucho. | de caminar | Nos sentimos | cansados después
Nos sentimos cansados después de caminar mucho.
(We feel tired after walking a lot.)
6.
en casa. | y yo | la mesa | está sobre | El libro | estoy aburrido
El libro está sobre la mesa y yo estoy aburrido en casa.
(The book is on the table and I am bored at home.)

Exercise 2: Match a word

Instruction: Match the translations

Estoy un poco cansado después de trabajar mucho. (I am a little tired after working hard.)
Ella está feliz porque encontró su libro. (She is happy because she found her book.)
No entiendo la tarea y me siento confundido. (I don't understand the homework and I feel confused.)
Mi amigo está nervioso por la entrevista de trabajo. (My friend is nervous about the job interview.)

Exercise 3: Cluster the words

Instruction: Classify the following words according to the type of emotion they express: positive or negative.

Emociones positivas

Emociones negativas

Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence

Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.

1

Mal


Badly

2

Sonreír


To smile

3

Deprimido


Depressed

4

Enfadarse


To get angry

5

Asustado


Frightened

Ejercicio 5: Conversation exercise

Instrucción:

  1. What is the emotion in each picture? (What is the emotion in each picture? )
  2. Ask the person next to you how they feel. (Ask the person next to you how they feel.)

Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes

Example phrases:

El niño en la primera imagen está feliz.

The boy in the first picture is happy.

La chica se siente cansada.

The girl feels tired.

Ella está muy enfadada.

She is very angry.

¿Cómo te sientes?

How are you feeling?

Estoy tranquilo y feliz.

I am calm and happy.

Estoy un poco cansado.

I am a bit tired.

...

Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards

Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.

Exercise 7: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Me ______ feliz cuando trabajo con mis amigos.

(I ______ happy when I work with my friends.)

2. Tú ______ bien mis emociones.

(You ______ my emotions well.)

3. Ella ______ cansada después del trabajo.

(She ______ tired after work.)

4. Nosotros ______ que estás nervioso por la reunión.

(We ______ that you are nervous about the meeting.)

Exercise 8: Feelings at Work and Home

Instruction:

Hoy, después de una reunión larga en el trabajo, yo (Sentirse - Presente) cansado pero contento porque (Entender - Presente) bien el proyecto. Mis compañeros también (Sentirse - Presente) nerviosos porque la presentación es mañana. Mi amiga Marta me llama y me pregunta cómo (Sentirse - Presente) . Yo le explico que a veces (Sentirse - Presente) confundido con tanta información nueva, pero siempre trato de (Entender - Presente) mejor para no estar triste. En casa, mi hijo pequeño (Sentirse - Presente) aburrido porque no puede salir al parque. Intento sonreír para que él también (Sentirse - Presente) tranquilo.


Today, after a long meeting at work, I feel tired but happy because I understand the project well. My coworkers also feel nervous because the presentation is tomorrow. My friend Marta calls me and asks how I feel . I explain that sometimes I feel confused with so much new information, but I always try to understand better so as not to be sad. At home, my little son feels bored because he cannot go to the park. I try to smile so that he also feels calm.

Verb Tables

Sentirse - Feel

Presente

  • Yo me siento
  • Tú te sientes
  • Él/Ella/Usted se siente
  • Nosotros nos sentimos
  • Vosotros os sentís
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes se sienten

Entender - Understand

Presente

  • Yo entiendo
  • Tú entiendes
  • Él/Ella/Usted entiende
  • Nosotros entendemos
  • Vosotros entendéis
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes entienden

Exercise 9: Diferencia entre Ser vs Estar

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Grammar: Difference between Ser vs Estar

Show translation Show answers

eres, soy, están, estoy, estáis, es, sois, estamos

1.
La calle ... estrecha.
(The street is narrow.)
2.
Tú ... doctora.
(You are a doctor.)
3.
Nosotros ... felices.
(We are happy.)
4.
Yo ... de España.
(I am from Spain.)
5.
Ellos ... en casa ahora.
(They are at home now.)
6.
Yo ... cansado.
(I am tired.)
7.
Vosotras ... cansadas.
(You (plural feminine) are tired.)
8.
Vosotros ... abogados.
(You are lawyers.)

Grammar

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A1.25.2 Gramática

Diferencia entre Ser vs Estar

Difference between Ser vs Estar


Verb conjugation tables for this lesson

Sentirse to feel

Presente

Spanish English
(yo) me siento I feel
(tú) te sientes You feel
(él/ella) se siente he/she feels
(nosotros/nosotras) nos sentimos we feel
(vosotros/vosotras) os sentís You feel
(ellos/ellas) se sienten they feel

Exercises and examples phrases

Entender to understand

Presente

Spanish English
(yo) entiendo I understand
(tú) entiendes You understand
(él/ella) entiende he/she understands
(nosotros/nosotras) entendemos we understand
(vosotros/vosotras) entendéis You understand
(ellos/ellas) entienden they understand

Exercises and examples phrases

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Understanding Emotions and Feelings in Spanish

This beginner-level lesson focuses on how to express emotions and feelings, a fundamental part of everyday communication in Spanish. You will learn useful adjectives and expressions such as contento (happy), nervioso (nervous), and cansado (tired), plus how to use verbs related to feelings like sentirse (to feel) and estar (to be).

Key Grammar: The Difference Between Ser and Estar

This lesson explains the important distinction between the verbs ser and estar, which both mean "to be" but are used in different contexts. For example, "Ella es profesora y siempre está feliz en su trabajo" highlights a permanent characteristic versus a temporary state.

Practical Vocabulary for Positive and Negative Emotions

  • Positive: contento, feliz, tranquilo, sorprendido
  • Negative: cansado, enfadado, nervioso, triste

Useful Dialogues and Practice

You will find dialogues set in real-life situations such as at work, hospital visits, and outdoor activities. These dialogs help practice expressing feelings and asking about others’ emotions, for example, "¿Cómo estás hoy?" (How are you today?) and responses like "Estoy un poco cansado, pero contento porque es viernes."

Verb Conjugations and Sentence Building

The lesson offers multiple-choice exercises and mini-stories to practice verbs like sentirse and entender in the present tense, helping to form natural and correct sentences. A useful phrase is "Me siento feliz cuando trabajo con mis amigos" (I feel happy when I work with my friends).

Differences and Tips

Unlike English, Spanish distinguishes between permanent and temporary states using ser and estar. Emotions usually use estar or reflexive verbs like sentirse. For instance, "I am happy" translates as Estoy feliz or Me siento feliz, not using ser. Useful phrases include "¿Por qué estás triste?" (Why are you sad?) and "Me siento confundido" (I feel confused), which helps you describe feelings clearly in Spanish.

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