Spanish Emotions Vocabulary: 40+ Feelings and Expressions

The six basic emotions identified by psychologist Paul Ekman (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust) are universal across cultures. But the words each language uses to describe them, and the nuances layered on top, differ dramatically. Spanish, with over 559 million speakers across 21 countries according to Ethnologue's 2024 data, has developed one of the richest emotional vocabularies in any language.

What makes Spanish emotions particularly interesting for learners is the grammar that surrounds them. Unlike English, where you simply "are" happy or scared, Spanish splits emotional expression across three different verb structures: estar for temporary states, ser for permanent traits, and tener for emotions framed as possessions. Mastering these patterns is as important as learning the vocabulary itself.

"Emotions are not universal readouts of internal states. They are culturally constructed categories that each language carves differently from the continuous flow of human experience." (Lisa Feldman Barrett, How Emotions Are Made, 2017)

This guide covers 40+ Spanish emotion words organized by category, with pronunciation, grammar notes, and cultural insights you will not find in a standard dictionary.

Basic Emotions

These are the core emotions that every Spanish learner should know first. Ekman's research on universal emotions maps closely onto these foundational Spanish words, though each carries its own cultural weight.

Notice the regional split for "angry": enojado dominates in Mexico, Central America, and most of South America, while enfadado is the standard in Spain. Both are universally understood, but using the regional form marks you as a more aware speaker. According to the RAE, both forms are equally correct standard Spanish.

Positive Emotions

Beyond basic happiness, Spanish offers a rich palette of positive emotional states. Many of these words have subtle distinctions that do not map neatly onto English equivalents. A 2019 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that positive emotion words tend to be used more frequently than negative ones across nearly all languages, and Spanish is no exception. Words like alegre, emocionado, and tranquilo appear constantly in everyday conversation.

The distinction between feliz and alegre is worth noting. Feliz describes a stable, deeper state of happiness; you might say soy feliz con mi vida (I am happy with my life). Alegre is more immediate and energetic, closer to "cheerful" or "joyful": está muy alegre hoy (she is very cheerful today). Choosing the right word shows a deeper understanding of emotional nuance in Spanish.

Another useful word is tranquilo, which goes far beyond "calm." Spanish speakers use it as a reassurance (¡Tranquilo, todo va a salir bien!, meaning "Relax, everything will be fine"), as a personality descriptor (es una persona muy tranquila, "she is a very easygoing person"), and even as a way to describe a neighborhood (un barrio tranquilo, "a quiet neighborhood"). It is one of the most versatile emotion-adjacent words in the language.

Negative Emotions

Negative emotions in Spanish often use tener (to have) instead of estar (to be), which gives them a different grammatical flavor. Pay attention to which verb each emotion requires. Spanish also makes finer distinctions between negative emotions than English does in many cases. For example, the difference between molesto (mildly annoyed) and harto (completely fed up) is a gradient that English covers with the single word "annoyed."

The word agobiado deserves special attention. Widely used in Spain, it captures a feeling of being suffocated by stress, responsibilities, or even heat. Latin American speakers more commonly use abrumado or estresado for similar feelings. According to linguist Anna Wierzbicka's research on cross-cultural emotion vocabulary, these subtle regional differences reflect distinct cultural attitudes toward stress and social pressure.

The false friend decepcionado also trips up many English speakers. It means "disappointed," not "deceived." If someone says estoy muy decepcionado contigo (I am very disappointed in you), they are not accusing you of deception. The actual Spanish word for "deceived" is engañado. Mixing these up can create awkward misunderstandings, so it is worth burning this distinction into memory early.

Spanish also distinguishes between preocupado (worried about something specific) and ansioso (a more generalized, clinical anxiety). You might say estoy preocupada por el examen (I'm worried about the exam) versus soy una persona ansiosa (I'm an anxious person). This mirrors the distinction psychologists make between situational worry and trait anxiety.

Complex and Nuanced Emotions

These are the emotions that make Spanish truly expressive. Several of these words have no direct English equivalent, reflecting cultural concepts unique to the Spanish-speaking world. Wierzbicka's research demonstrates that every language has emotion words that resist translation, and Spanish is particularly rich in these untranslatable feelings.

Estar vs. Ser with Emotions

This is the single most important grammar concept for expressing emotions in Spanish. The verb you choose completely changes the meaning. No other European language makes this distinction as clearly as Spanish does, and it fundamentally shapes how Spanish speakers think about emotional experience.

The estar vs. ser distinction is not just grammar; it reflects how Spanish conceptualizes human experience. Emotions with estar are treated as passing weather: they come and go. The same adjective with ser becomes an identity statement. Saying soy nervioso (I am a nervous person) is fundamentally different from estoy nervioso (I am nervous right now). Research by Wierzbicka suggests this grammatical distinction encourages Spanish speakers to view emotions as transient states rather than fixed identities.

Tener Expressions for Emotions

Spanish uses tener (to have) for many emotions that English expresses with "to be." These are idiomatic and must be memorized as fixed patterns. This grammatical quirk reflects a metaphorical framework where emotions are treated as possessions rather than states: you "have" fear rather than "being" afraid. The RAE lists over a dozen established tener + noun expressions for emotional states in standard Spanish.

You can intensify these expressions with mucho/a: tengo mucho miedo (I am very afraid), tiene mucha vergüenza (he/she is very ashamed). The adjective agrees with the noun, not the person: miedo is masculine, so it is always mucho miedo; vergüenza is feminine, so it is always mucha vergüenza.

A particularly interesting case is tener ilusión. In English, "illusion" means something false or deceptive. In Spanish, ilusión means hopeful excitement about something upcoming: tengo mucha ilusión por las vacaciones (I am really looking forward to the holidays). This is one of the most commonly used emotion words in Spain and is essentially untranslatable. No single English word captures its blend of hope, excitement, and positive anticipation.

Softening Emotions with Diminutives

One of the most charming features of Spanish emotional expression is the use of diminutives. Adding -ito/-ita to an emotion word softens it, adds affection, or minimizes the feeling. This is far more common in spoken Spanish than textbooks suggest, and it gives speakers a powerful tool for emotional calibration. A mother might tell her child estás asustadito, ¿verdad? (you're a little scared, right?), where the diminutive signals empathy and warmth simultaneously.

Expressing Emotions with Sentirse and Dar

Beyond estar, ser, and tener, Spanish has two more essential verb patterns for emotions: sentirse (to feel) and dar (to give, used impersonally). Together, these five verb structures give Spanish one of the most grammatically diverse systems for emotional expression in any European language.

The reflexive verb sentirse works similarly to English "to feel" and is the most versatile option when you are unsure which verb to use. The impersonal dar structure flips the sentence around: instead of you being the subject who feels something, the emotion or situation becomes the subject that "gives" you the feeling. This is a fundamentally different way of framing emotional experience; it places the cause front and center.

Practice with Spanish Movies and TV

Emotions are everywhere in Spanish-language media, making movies and television one of the best ways to internalize this vocabulary in context. Telenovelas are especially useful because their dramatic plots cycle through the entire emotional spectrum (jealousy, rage, love, betrayal, joy), often within a single episode. Films by directors like Pedro Almodóvar are masterclasses in emotional Spanish, featuring characters who express feelings with an intensity and specificity that textbooks cannot replicate.

Listen for the grammar patterns covered in this guide. When a character in a Mexican drama says me da mucha pena, notice whether they mean sadness or embarrassment based on context. When a Spanish protagonist whispers tengo miedo, observe how natural the tener construction sounds compared to the less common estoy asustado. Real-world exposure cements these patterns in a way that flashcards alone cannot.

Pay attention to how characters use estar vs. ser, and listen for tener expressions in heated dialogue. You will hear tengo miedo far more often than estoy asustado in natural speech. Check out our guide to the best movies for learning Spanish for curated recommendations across different dialects and difficulty levels.

Wordy lets you practice emotion vocabulary in real context by watching Spanish content with interactive subtitles. When a character says estoy harta or me da vergüenza, you can tap the phrase to see the full breakdown, hear the pronunciation, and save it for review. Explore our blog for more Spanish learning guides, or visit our Spanish learning page to start building your emotional vocabulary today.