Basic Spanish Adjectives of Emotion

Talking about emotions in Spanish isnt always simple. Sometimes discussion of emotions involves using the subjunctive verb mood, and sometimes emotions are expressed with idioms using the verb tener. That said, Spanish frequently uses adjectives to express emotions much as English does. Here are the most common adjectives of emotion, along with their usual meanings, with a sample sentence for each: aburrido (bored) — Me gusta escuchar mà ºsica cuando estoy aburrida. I like to listen to music when I am bored. enojado (angry) — Muchos estaban enojados con el gobierno. Many were angry with the government. feliz (happy) — No creo que uno pueda tener una vida feliz sin algunas reglas. I dont think one can have a happy life without some rules. nervioso (nervous) — El chico nervioso temblaba como una pequeà ±a hoja. The nervous boy was trembling like a little leaf. preocupado (worried) — Las madres està ¡n preocupadas por la epidemia de dengue en la regià ³n. The mothers are worried about the dengue epidemic in the region. tranquilo (calm) — Estamos mà ¡s tranquilos por haber recibido una explicacià ³n satisfactoria. Were calmer for having received a satisfactory explanation. triste (sad) — Toda la pelà ­cula es triste. The whole movie is sad. Keep in mind, as in the examples above, that the adjectives of emotion must agree with the nouns (or pronouns) they refer to. Also note that some of these words can vary in meaning somewhat depending on whether they are used with ser or estar. Note also that it is common to express emotions in ways other than with adjectives. For example, enojarse is a verb meaning to get angry and preocupar is a verb meaning to worry, and both of those are frequently used when talking about those emotions. Also, the verbal phrase tener miedo is by far the most common way to express fear. Although there is an adjective, asustado, meaning afraid, it is more common to use the tener phrase when describing how a person feels.