Not being able to express ourselves clearly can be frustrating. Expressing feelings or emotions is essential to be able to have quality conversations with our family and friends.
Some people are very expressive with their facial emotions and verbal language, just by looking at their faces, we can get an idea of what they are thinking or how they feel.
The most important thing when expressing emotions is to do it politely and respectfully towards the people we are talking to, this is the only way to practise quality communication.
The number of expressions in Spanish to show our state of mind is immense. We can be sad, happy, healthy, and so on. Learn the sentence structure and you will see how easy it is once you practise it.
At iScribo, today we bring you some formulas to express emotions and feelings so you can expand on the grammatical structures you already know.
Sentence Structure
You can use the basic structure of subject + verb + complements or you can turn the sentence around to emphasise:
Estoy contenta de estar hoy aquí (omitted subject ME + verb + complements).
(I’m happy to be here today.)
Contento me tienes…. (complements + verb + omitted subject YOU).
(I’m not happy with you…)
To start with, use the standard structure, which is the one you normally use. Gradually introduce inverted sentences as you become more proficient.
Elements of the Sentence
Feelings are often expressed with the verb ESTAR (to be). Just conjugate it.
Estoy cansado de hacer ejercicio (estar + adjective)
(I’m tired of exercising.)
Estamos bien, no preguntes más (estar + adverb)
(We are ok, don’t ask again.)
Another frequent verb to express feelings is SENTIR (to feel). This one is also easy, as you can associate the verb with the word family (sentir and sentimientos).
Me siento triste por lo que te ha pasado (sentir + adjective)
(I feel sad about what happened to you)
¿Sientes el amor lo mismo que yo? (feel + noun)
(Do you feel love the same way I do.)
There are other verbs, which we will see further down in the sentences, that help us to emphasise or give more strength to what we want to say, such as GUSTAR, ENCANTAR, DETESTAR, etcetera.
The next thing you need to know is that emotions are expressed with adjectives at the basic levels. However, they can also be expressed with nouns, adverbs, or other categories.
We have highlighted these grammatical categories in bold in the examples above so that you can see the difference.
Don’t forget that most of the time when there is a verb involved, in addition to the auxiliary, you have to use the subjunctive.
Expressing Positive Feelings
#1 Estoy muy contenta porque he aprobado el examen.
#2 Estás radiante con ese vestido.
#3 Estás a un nivel increíble.
#4 Están deseando que lleguen las vacaciones.
#5 Sentimos tu alegría como si fuera nuestra.
#6 ¡Me encanta tu actitud!
#7 ¡Sigue por buen camino!
#8 Me flipa la paella.
#9 ¡Qué alegría ver tan graciosa a la niña!
#10 Es increíble que nos hayamos encontrado.
#11 Me parece maravilloso que cambies de trabajo.
#12 Siento admiración por lo que has conseguido.
#13 Es estupendo que pueda venir a verte tu madre.
Expressing Negative Feelings
#14 Estoy triste porque te han echado del trabajo.
#15 Hoy estoy floja.
#16 Me encuentro enfermo, me duele la cabeza.
#17 Odio que me hables así.
#18 Detesto la cebolla.
#19 Siento mucho lo que te ha pasado.
#20 No me gusta que le hables así a tu amiga.
#21 No tengo ganas de salir ni de hacer nada.
#22 Qué decepción que hayamos perdido.
#23 Siento un vacío inmenso al alejarme de ella.
#24 Me ha dado mucho miedo el pasar la noche sola.
#25 No soporto a José.
#26 No aguanto esta película.
There Are Many Ways To Express Emotions!
Every day brings us millions of opportunities to express ourselves. From a bad face to the most extreme joy. Practically every time we speak, we are expressing emotions.
Pay close attention to what you do every day from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed, and you will see that every few minutes you will identify an action that you can practice expressing emotions.
We also leave you with an entertaining video so you can see more examples and learn a little more. Also, don’t forget that iScribo corrects your Spanish and improves the way you express yourself. And remember! Don’t forget to be kind, we need positive and empathetic people to make this world a better place.
