Positive Emotions In Spanish

Expressing one’s emotions is perhaps the single most important aspect of human communication in any language. Almost every real-life communication involves expression of the speakers’ feelings and sentiments, positive or negative, in varying degrees. Hence, it becomes obviously imperative for anyone learning Spanish to learn to be able to express themselves and their emotions efficiently in that language before they set out on any confident conversation with a native speaker. Regardless of circumstances, these expressions often form the pivot of any conversation that goes beyond asking for directions or ordering a cerveza.

Ability to express your feelings is a real empowerment when it comes to learning Spanish. It gives you the confidence to move beyond the boring gracias, bien, and por favor while speaking real Spanish. Now, learning words of expression in any language is a pretty simple idea; there are dozens of word-lists out there on the Internet waiting for you to devour. But again, why would you be here if you could just snatch them off some website and cram them up? There’s got to be a lazier way to get our heads around those alien-sounding words! Is there? Yes, there is. Can we invoke mnemonics to just absorb them in a single scan without repeating them to death? Now we are talking.

Feeling good? Positive feelings

Basta por hoy...estoy contento
Photo credit: GabaGaba licensed CC BY 2.0

If you are like some of us, you probably prefer to start on a high. When there’s good news and bad news, we often tend to start with the good news first. It puts our spirit in the right place, prepared with the confidence required to face the bad news. In this article, we deal with words for some of the happier feelings – the positive emotions. Bits of etymology teamed with some mnemonics and visual cues are your key to instant assimilation.

• agradable (pleasant) – Does this word sound similar to agreeable? Well, when something is pleasant, isn’t it quite agreeable to our senses too?
• alegre (happy) – This word shares a common Latin root with the Italian word, allegro, which stands for a piece performed in a brisk, lively manner. And brisk and lively is quite how you feel when you are happy, isn’t it?
• contento (happy) – When you are happy to have finally done or received what you have been wanting to, you are obviously satisfied and content...and happy.
• enamorado de (in love with) – This one is a straight derivative from the Spanish word, amor, which stands for “love” in English. En carries the sense of “in” thus lending the phrase the meaning of being enamored with, ergo, being in love with.
• feliz (happy) – Remember Feliz Navidad or Feliz cumpleaños? This word comes from the Latin word, fēlīx, which means “happy” in English. Do note that fēlīx was also the source for “felicity” in English which, in a sense, also means “happy”.
• listo (ready) – Easiest way to remember this one is to ask the question: Is the list ready? By the way, this word also means “clever” just so you know.
• lleno (full) – Imagine being in your favorite restaurant and having this conversation with the server: More chicken? I am full; so, no more. The etymology of this word is too complex to be used as a memory cue.
• ordenado (organized) – Anything that’s organized is also ordered as against random and chaotic. Another way to remember this is by seeing anything organized as being pre-ordained.
• seguro (sure) – This one comes from the Latin, secūrus, which gave the English “secure” and “sure”. The Latin word carries a sense of certainty and self-confidence as an extension of security; and it is this sense of certainty or surety that came into Spanish as seguro.

Happiness in Spanish

So, what’s going on with “happy”? Three words in Spanish for one word in English? Not fair. How are we supposed to know which one to use in which situation? Well, cases like these are not uncommon in the life of a language learner. While more than one word can act as pure synonyms, carrying the same meaning in every sense, most often they happen to have some subtle differences. It is these subtle differences that sets the natives apart from the foreign speakers.

Well, the easiest one to sieve out is contento, which means “happy” in a sense of being content or satisfied. You could be contento when you are just done with your favorite dish of mashed potatoes or when you finally meet your family after a long trip abroad.

Este gato es muy alegre!
Photo credit: Paul Lewis licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

Alegre and feliz, on the other hand, have an extremely faint difference. Alegre is “happy” in a cheerful way, well manifested in one’s behavior or appearance, showing external signs such as a smiling face or a jovial attitude. Even objects or events could be described as alegre when their appearance or outlook evoke cheerful emotions, such as a party, a shirt, a house, or a painting. Also, alegre often indicates happiness in a more temporary sense.

Feliz, on the other hand is more permanent in nature, more innate and personal. One can be happy or at peace with themselves without appearing cheerful on the outside. This sense of being internally happy is captured by feliz. It’s a state of being, more about the emotion than about behavior or appearance. An example illustrating this subtle difference between the two word would be: Parece alegre, pero en realidad no es feliz (He appears cheerful but is not actually happy).