Feelings are the heart of everyday conversation. Want to tell a friend you’re happy, admit you’re tired, or ask for food because you’re hungry? In Spanish, you’ll lean on two key verbs and a handful of super useful words. In this A1 guide, we’ll keep it simple, practical, and friendly, with lots of examples and mini-practice along the way.

By the end, you’ll comfortably say “I’m happy,” “She’s sad,” “We’re tired,” and “I’m hungry” in Spanish—without overthinking it.

The two key verbs you need: estar and tener

In Spanish, we often use:

• estar + adjective to talk about temporary feelings and states
• tener + noun to talk about physical states like hunger, thirst, or sleepiness

Here are your core patterns:

• estar + feliz/triste/cansado/a
• tener + hambre (hungry)

Your core feeling words (with examples)

Let’s learn the essentials you’ll use every day. Read the Spanish, then the English. Notice the verb each one likes to pair with.

Try these quick practices to lock it in.

Ana cansada.

Tenemos .

Gender agreement made easy

Spanish adjectives change with gender and number.

• If the person is male: cansado
• If the person is female: cansada
• For groups: add -s (cansados / cansadas)

Feliz and triste do not change for gender (they only add -s in plural: felices, tristes).

Culture + usage notes you’ll actually use

• Everyday speech prefers "Tengo hambre" over "Estoy hambriento". The tener + noun pattern is the natural, common choice.
• For happiness, both "Estoy feliz" and "Estoy contento/a" are common. "Contento/a" can feel a bit more “pleased/content” rather than deep life happiness.
• In conversation, you’ll often hear a softener like “un poco” (a little):
  • "Estoy un poco cansado/cansada." (I’m a little tired.)
  • "Estoy un poco triste." (I’m a little sad.)
• Polite ways to mention hunger:
  • "Tengo hambre, ¿hay algo de comer?" (I’m hungry; is there something to eat?)
  • "¿Podemos comer? Tengo mucha hambre." (Can we eat? I’m very hungry.)

Common mistakes (and quick fixes)

These are classic beginner traps. Learn them once—then avoid them forever.

Yo soy hambre. → Tengo hambre. Hungry uses tener + noun, not ser/estar. Soy cansado. → Estoy cansado / Estoy cansada. Use estar + adjective for temporary states like tired. Soy triste ahora. → Estoy triste ahora. For current feelings, use estar.

Quick recap

• Happy: "Estoy feliz" / "Estoy contento/a"
• Sad: "Estoy triste"
• Tired: "Estoy cansado/a"
• Hungry: "Tengo hambre"

Keep the patterns simple:

• estar + adjective (feliz, triste, cansado/a)
• tener + noun (hambre)

Practice them out loud. Swap the subject to talk about others: "Ella está triste", "Ellos están cansados", "Tenemos hambre".

Final practice burst

Say these in Spanish (out loud), then check the model answers above:

• I’m happy today.
• She is sad.
• We (women) are tired.
• I am very hungry.

You’ve got this. A few minutes of daily practice with these patterns will make real conversations feel easy and natural. ¡Ánimo! (Cheer up!)