Spanish · Feelings

Feelings & Small Talk in Spanish

Happy, tired, cold, in a hurry — the everyday Spanish that turns formal conversations into real ones.

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

You run into the owner of the little shop near your apartment. They ask how you are. You could say estoy bien and keep walking. But what if you're tired? Or excited about the festival this weekend? Or just feeling a little homesick? That's the real conversation, and it starts with being able to say more than just 'I'm fine'.

This is where you'll find the words for those everyday human feelings. We've organized phrases for being happy, sad, tired, or sick. You'll also find the essentials for talking about the weather or being in a hurry — the little things that make up most of our day-to-day chats.

We've focused on the most common, natural-sounding phrases you'd actually hear in Spain or Latin America. Every phrase includes audio from a native speaker, and all our translations are cross-checked for accuracy.

30 feelings and small-talk phrases

Full index · ordered A → Z

¿Tienes hambre? tee-EH-nes AHM-bray
¡Felicitaciones! feh-lee-tah-SYOH-nes
¡Buena suerte! BWEH-nah SWER-teh
Tengo sed TEN-go SED
Estoy muy cansado. es-TOY moo-ee kahn-SAH-doh
¡Qué ganas tengo! keh GAH-nahs TEN-goh
Me siento muy bien. meh SYEN-toh moo-ee BYEN
Me siento mal. meh SYEN-toh MAHL
Me siento mal del estómago. meh SYEN-toh MAHL del es-TOH-mah-goh
Me duele la cabeza meh DOO-eh-leh lah kah-BEH-sah
Me encanta esta ciudad. meh en-KAN-tah ES-tah see-oo-DAD
Me encanta esta canción meh en-KAHN-tah ES-tah kahn-SYOHN
Extraño mi casa ehks-TRAHN-yoh mee KAH-sah
Estoy enojado es-TOY en-oh-HA-doh
Estoy ansioso/a ehs-TOY ahn-SYOH-soh / ah
Estoy en paz ehs-TOY ehn PAHZ
Estoy aburrido/a. es-TOY ah-boo-REE-doh/dah
Tengo frío. TEN-go FREE-oh
Estoy a gusto ehs-TOY ah GOOS-toh
Estoy emocionado. es-TOY eh-moh-see-oh-NAH-doh
Estoy agotado/a ehs-TOY ah-go-TAH-doh/dah
Estoy agotado/a pero feliz ehs-TOY ah-go-TAH-doh (or ah-go-TAH-dah) peh-roh feh-LEES
Me estoy congelando meh ehs-TOY kohn-heh-LAHN-doh
Estoy agradecido ehs-TOY ah-grah-deh-SEE-doh
Estoy feliz. es-TOY fe-LEEZ
Tengo calor TEN-go kah-LOR
Tengo hambre. TEN-go AM-breh
Estoy de mal humor. es-TOY deh mal oo-MOR
Estoy de buen humor. ehs-TOY deh BWEN oo-MOR
Tengo prisa TEN-go PREE-sah
Tengo envidia TEN-go em-VEE-dee-ah
Estoy nervioso/a es-TOY ner-vee-OH-soh / -sah
Estoy abrumado/a ehs-TOY ah-broo-MAH-doh/dah
Estoy orgulloso/a es-TOY or-goo-YOH-soh / ah
Estoy orgulloso de ti. es-TOY or-goo-YOH-so de tee
¡Estoy emocionado/a! ehs-TOY eh-moh-see-oh-NAH-doh/dah
Me siento aliviado/a. meh see-EN-toh ah-lee-vee-AH-doh/dah
Estoy triste es-TOY TRIS-teh
Tengo miedo TEN-go MEE-eh-doh
Tengo mucha hambre TEN-go MOO-cha AHM-bray
Estoy estresado/a ehs-TOY ehs-treh-SAH-doh / dah
Estoy sudando es-TOH-ee soo-DAHN-doh
Tengo sed TEN-go SED
Estoy cansado/a. es-TOY kahn-SAH-doh / dah
Estoy preocupado. es-TOY preh-koo-pah-DO
Estoy cansado/a. ehs-TOY kahn-SAH-doh/dah
¡Qué frío! keh FREE-oh
Está lloviendo. es-TAH yo-vee-EN-doh
Está nublado ehs-TAH noo-BLAH-doh
Hace sol AH-seh sohl
Hace viento AH-seh VEE-en-toh
Tengo miedo TEN-go MYEH-doh
Me duele la espalda. meh DOO-eh-leh lah es-PAL-dah
Qué gracioso keh grah-see-OH-so
Qué interesante keh een-teh-reh-SAHN-teh
¡Qué chido! keh CHEE-doh
El tiempo está genial. el tee-EM-poh es hah-nee-AHL
¡Qué día tan bonito! keh DEE-ah tahn boh-NEE-toh
Preocupado/a preh-oh-koo-PAH-doh / -dah

Frequently asked

How to say 'I'm fine' in Spanish without sounding rude?

Saying estoy bien, gracias is perfectly polite. If you want to sound warmer and more engaged, you can add ¿y tú? (and you?) to ask them back.

When to use tú vs. usted for 'how are you'?

Use tú (¿cómo estás?) with friends, family, and people your age. Use usted (¿cómo está?) with older people, in professional settings, or to show respect. When in doubt, starting with usted is always the safer option.

What's the difference between ser and estar for feelings?

Generally, you'll use estar for temporary feelings and conditions, like estoy cansado (I'm tired). You use ser for more permanent traits or characteristics, like soy una persona optimista (I'm an optimistic person).

Is it weird to talk about your feelings in Spanish small talk?

Not at all, within limits. With acquaintances or shopkeepers you see often, it's very common to go beyond 'fine' and mention you're tired, busy, or looking forward to something.