A1.25: Emotions and feelings

Emociones y sentimientos

Learn to describe emotions and feelings in Spanish, focusing on verbs like "sentirse" and vocabulary such as "contento" (happy), "nervioso" (nervous), and "cansado" (tired). Practice expressing how you and others feel in everyday situations.

Listening & reading materials

Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.

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.
hoy? ¿Te | o triste? | ¿Cómo estás | sientes feliz
¿Cómo estás hoy? ¿Te sientes feliz o triste?
(How are you today? Do you feel happy or sad?)
2.
he dormido | porque no | bien esta | noche. | poco cansado | Estoy un
Estoy un poco cansado porque no he dormido bien esta noche.
(I am a little tired because I did not sleep well last night.)
3.
examen. | antes del | Mi amiga | está nerviosa
Mi amiga está nerviosa antes del examen.
(My friend is nervous before the exam.)
4.
que está | para calmarse. | enfadada debe | respirar profundamente | La persona
La persona que está enfadada debe respirar profundamente para calmarse.
(The person who is angry should breathe deeply to calm down.)
5.
España? | visita en | estás de | ¿Eres de | aquí o
¿Eres de aquí o estás de visita en España?
(Are you from here or are you visiting Spain?)
6.
me gusta salir | Cuando estoy aburrido, | gente. | a caminar y | sonreír a la
Cuando estoy aburrido, me gusta salir a caminar y sonreír a la gente.
(When I am bored, I like to go for a walk and smile at people.)

Exercise 2: Match a word

Instruction: Match the translations

Estoy muy cansado después del trabajo. (I am very tired after work.)
María está contenta porque aprobó el examen. (María is happy because she passed the exam.)
Cuando veo una película de miedo me siento asustado. (When I watch a scary movie I feel scared.)
No entiendo la lección porque estoy confundido. (I don’t understand the lesson because I am confused.)

Exercise 3: Cluster the words

Instruction: Classify the words according to whether they express positive emotions or negative emotions.

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. Yo me ______ contento cuando hablo con mis amigos.

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

2. Tú ______ bien las explicaciones del trabajo.

(You ______ the explanations of the work well.)

3. Ella ______ nerviosa antes de la reunión importante.

(She ______ nervous before the important meeting.)

4. Nosotros nos ______ tranquilos en esta ciudad.

(We ______ calm in this city.)

Exercise 8: A day with emotions at work

Instruction:

Hoy (Sentirse - Presente) cansado porque (Trabajar - Pretérito perfecto) trabajado mucho esta semana. Mi compañera Ana (Estar - Presente) un poco confundida con el informe. Yo (Entender - Presente) que es complicado, pero (Sonreír - Presente) para animarla. Después, ella (Sentirse - Presente) mejor y dice que gracias a mí, su día mejora.


Today I feel tired because I have worked a lot this week. My colleague Ana is a little confused with the report. I understand that it is complicated, but I smile to cheer her up. Later, she feels better and says that thanks to me, her day improves.

Verb Tables

Sentirse - Sentirse

Presente

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

Trabajar - Trabajar

Pretérito perfecto

  • Yo he trabajado
  • Tú has trabajado
  • Él/Ella/Usted ha trabajado
  • Nosotros hemos trabajado
  • Vosotros habéis trabajado
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes han trabajado

Estar - Estar

Presente

  • Yo estoy
  • Tú estás
  • Él/Ella/Usted está
  • Nosotros estamos
  • Vosotros estáis
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes están

Entender - Entender

Presente

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

Sonreír - Sonreír

Presente

  • Yo sonrío
  • Tú sonríes
  • Él/Ella/Usted sonríe
  • Nosotros sonreímos
  • Vosotros sonreís
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes sonríen

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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Emotions and Feelings in Spanish: Lesson Overview

This lesson introduces you to expressing emotions and feelings in Spanish, focusing on common vocabulary, sentence structures, and the use of the verbs sentirse (to feel) and estar (to be). Designed for beginners (A1 level), it provides practical phrases and dialogues for everyday situations such as work, health, and leisure.

Key Topics Covered

  • Vocabulary of Emotions: Learn words for positive emotions like contento (happy), feliz (happy), tranquilo (calm), and sorprendido (surprised), and negative emotions such as cansado (tired), enfadado (angry), nervioso (nervous), and triste (sad).
  • The verb sentirse (to feel): Learn how to conjugate this reflexive verb in the present tense and use it in sentences like Estoy contento (I am happy) or Me siento cansado (I feel tired).
  • Differentiating ser vs. estar: Understand how estar is used to express temporary states or feelings, e.g., Estoy nervioso, while ser describes permanent characteristics.
  • Constructing dialogues: Practice asking and responding to questions about emotions in various contexts such as office conversations, hospital visits, and post-exercise chats.
  • Interactive exercises: Include sentence reordering, matching halves of sentences, verb conjugation multiple-choice questions, and fill-in-the-gap mini-stories to reinforce learning.

Important Expressions and Phrases

  • ¿Cómo te sientes? – How do you feel?
  • Estoy un poco cansado. – I am a little tired.
  • ¿Por qué estás triste? – Why are you sad?
  • Me siento feliz cuando trabajo con mis amigos. – I feel happy when I work with my friends.

Using Emotions in Context

The lesson offers realistic dialogues illustrating how to talk about feelings, ask others about their emotions, and respond appropriately. For example, in a work setting, you might say: Estoy un poco cansado, pero contento porque es viernes (I’m a bit tired but happy because it’s Friday).

Grammar Highlight: Ser versus Estar

In Spanish, ser and estar both mean "to be," but they are used differently. Ser describes permanent traits (e.g., professions, personality), whereas estar expresses temporary states or emotions. For example:

  • Ella es profesora y siempre está feliz en su trabajo. – She is a teacher (permanent), and she is always happy at her job (temporary state).
  • ¿Por qué estás triste? – Why are you sad? (temporary feeling)

Differences and Useful Phrases Compared to English

Spanish often uses reflexive verbs like sentirse to express feelings, which does not have a direct reflexive form in English. For instance, Me siento nervioso literally translates as "I feel myself nervous," but in English we simply say "I feel nervous." Learning this structure helps convey emotions naturally in Spanish. Also, remember that adjective endings change to match gender and number (cansado for masculine singular, cansada for feminine).

Common useful phrases include:

  • Estoy feliz – I am happy
  • Me siento confundido – I feel confused
  • Nos sentimos cansados – We feel tired
  • ¿Estás contenta? – Are you happy? (female)

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