French · Feelings

Feelings & Small Talk in French

Heureux, fatigué, pressé — the everyday French that turns formal conversations into real ones.

50 entries ·Moods, weather, reactions · Audio on every entry · cross-checked

You've just arrived at a friend's apartment in Lyon. She asks how you're doing. You know bonjour and merci, but what comes out is a blank stare and a shrug. That gap — between textbook French and the kind of French that actually fills a room — is exactly what this page is for.

Here you'll find the words French speakers reach for every day: how to say you're tired, rushed, nervous, relieved, or just fine. Feelings vocabulary, small-talk openers, and the short phrases that keep a conversation moving instead of grinding to a halt. Each entry includes the French, a natural English equivalent, and a note on when and how people actually use it — because je suis crevé and je suis fatigué are not the same thing in practice.

The page is organized by mood and situation, so you can scan for what you need right now or work through it slowly. Casual check-ins are grouped separately from stronger emotions, and register notes flag anything that sounds odd in formal settings.

Every translation and audio clip has been reviewed by a native speaker — if something is regional or dated, we say so.

French feelings and small-talk phrases

Full index · ordered A → Z

Félicitations ! fay-lee-see-tah-SYOHN
Bonne chance ! bun SHAWNS
J'ai hâte ! zhay AHT
Je me sens très bien. zhuh muh sahntray BYAN
Je suis malade. zhuh swee mah-LADD
J'ai la nausée. zhay lah noh-ZAY
J'ai mal à la tête. zhay mal ah lah TET
J'adore cette ville ! zhah-DOR set VEEL
J'adore cette chanson. zhah-DOR SET shah(n)-SOHN
J'ai le mal du pays. zhay luh mahl doo PAY-ee
Je suis en colère. zhuh swee ahn koh-LEHR
Je suis anxieux / anxieuse zhuh sweez ahnks-YUH / ahnks-YUZ
Je suis tranquille. zhuh swee trahn-KEEL
Je m'ennuie. zhuh mahn-NWEE
J'ai froid. zhay FRWA
Je suis content. zhuh swee kohn-TAHN
Je suis impatient(e) de... zhuh swee-z(uh)m-PAH-shawn(t) duh
Je suis fatigué(e). zhuh swee fuh-tee-GAY
Je suis épuisé(e) mais heureux(se). zhuh swee AY-pwee-ZAY may-uh-RU(z)
Je suis gelé(e) ! zhuh swee zhuh-LAY
Je suis reconnaissant(e) zhuh swee ruh-koh-neh-SAH(NT)
Je suis content(e). zhuh swee kohn-TAHN(t)
J'ai chaud. zhay SHOH
J'ai faim. zhay FAN
J'ai le cafard. zhay luh ka-FAR
Je suis de bonne humeur. zhuh swee duh BOHN uh-muhr
Je suis pressé(e). zhuh swee preh-SAY
J'ai de la jalousie zhay duh lah zha-loo-ZEE
Je suis nerveux. zhuh swee nehr-VUH
Je suis débordé(e). zhuh swee day-bor-DAY
Je suis fier. zhuh swee FYAIR
Je suis fier/fière de toi. zhuh swee FYAIR duh twah
Je suis super motivé(e) ! zhuh swee soo-PAIR moh-tee-VAY
Je suis soulagé(e). zhuh swee soo-lah-ZHAY
Je suis triste zhuh swee TREEST
J'ai peur. zhey PUR
Je meurs de faim ! zhuh mehr duh fan
Je suis stressé(e) zhuh swee streh-SAY
Je transpire. zhuh trahn-SPEER
J'ai soif zhay SWAHF
Je suis fatigué(e). zhuh swee fuh-tee-GAY
Je m'inquiète zhuh m(uh)n-kan-YET
Il gèle ! eel ZHAYL
Il pleut. eel PLUH
J'ai mal au dos. zhay MAHL oh DOH
C'est drôle. seh DROHL
C'est intéressant. seh teh(n)-teh-reh-SAHN
C'est trop cool ! say TROH KOOL
Il fait beau. eel fay BOH
Quelle belle journée ! kel BEL zhoor-NAY

Frequently asked

how do you say I'm tired in French

The standard answer is je suis fatigué (or fatiguée if you're a woman), but in everyday speech you'll hear je suis crevé far more often — it's the equivalent of saying you're wiped out or exhausted. Save the formal version for work emails and use the colloquial one with friends.

what's the difference between tu and vous when talking about feelings

Use tu with friends, family, and anyone who's already using it with you. Use vous with strangers, older people, or anyone in a professional context. Getting it wrong with tu can come across as presumptuous, so when in doubt, start with vous and let the other person switch first.

how do French people actually respond when someone asks comment ça va

Ça va or ça va bien covers most situations — it's the equivalent of 'fine' or 'good'. Pas mal (not bad) is also very common and sounds natural rather than flat. A long honest answer is not usually expected unless you know the person well.

are French feelings phrases different in Quebec vs France

The core vocabulary is the same, but Quebec French has its own colloquial expressions — je suis tanné (I'm fed up) instead of j'en ai marre, for example. Where a phrase is strongly associated with one region, there's a note on the entry so you're not caught off guard.