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Learn 10 Common Emotions in Portuguese

Learn 10 Common Emotions in Portuguese

posted on November 13, 2017

Learn emotions in Portuguese - Portuguese lesson

We express our emotions all the time. Today you will learn 10 common emotions in Portuguese, including good and bad feelings. The goal is to improve your ability to communicate in Portuguese so you can deepen relationships and enrich your conversations.

For each emotion I will show you not only the adjective (happy, sad), but also the related noun (happiness, sadness).

Regarding the gender of words:

  • Adjectives that have a masculine and a feminine version are indicated by adding “/a” at the end of the word. It means that word can end in “o” (masculine) or in “a” (feminine). Learn about the gender of adjectives to feel comfortable with it. Those that end in “e” or in “z” apply to both men and women.
  • By each noun, you will find the indication of whether it is a feminine noun (f) or a masculine noun (m).

After the vocabulary section you will find real-life examples using some of these emotions in full sentences.

Vocabulary list: 10 Emotions in Portuguese

1. Angry = zangado/a, com raiva*

anger = raiva (f)

2. Anxious = ansioso/a

anxiety = ansiedade (f)

3. Joyful = alegre

joy = alegria (f)

4. Depressed = deprimido/a

depression = depressão (f)

5. Disappointed = decepcionado/a, desapontado/a

disappointment = decepção (f), desapontamento (m)

6. Frustrated = frustrado/a

frustration = frustração (f)

7. Happy = feliz

happiness = felicidade

8. Nervous = nervoso/a

nervousness = nervosismo (m)

9. Sad = triste

sadness = tristeza (f)

10. Scared = amedrontado/a, com medo*

fear = medo (m)

* Com raiva and com medo are not adjectives. I included these expressions because they are the most common way in which we express feeling angry and scared, respectively, in Brazil.

Emotions in Portuguese: Verb Ser vs. Verb Estar

Practicing the vocabulary of emotions is a great way to practice the verbs Ser and Estar in Portuguese.

Here are a few things you need to know in order to use emotions correctly in full sentences:

  1. Use the verb Ser to indicate how someone is in general (not how they are feeling at the moment).
  2. Use the verb Estar to indicate how someone feels at the moment.
  3. Use the verb Ficar in the past tense to say that someone was sad (or any emotion), meaning that they got sad because something caused them to feel sad. See examples 4 and 5 below.

I have a whole Portuguese lesson about different uses of the verb Ficar. Using it with emotions will make your Portuguese sound great.

6 real-life examples using emotions in Portuguese

To get more out of the examples below, pay close attention to how we word these phrases in Portuguese and in English. Observing differences and similarities will benefit your Portuguese in general.

Example # 4 has a useful idiomatic expression: to stand someone up. The Brazilian Portuguese equivalent is totally different.

Example # 6 has another useful idiomatic expression: não adianta.

1. Por que você está com raiva? O que aconteceu? = Why are you angry? What happened?

2. Estou ansiosa porque tenho uma entrevista de trabalho amanhã. = I’m feeling anxious because I have a job interview tomorrow.

3. Joana é sempre tão alegre. Infelizmente hoje ela está triste porque perdeu o emprego. = Joana is always so joyful. Unfortunately today she is feeling sad because she’s lost her job.

4. Ontem Ana deu um bolo em Mário. Ele ficou muito decepcionado. = Yesterday Ana stood Mário up. He was very disappointed.

5. Parabéns pela promoção! Fiquei muito feliz com a notícia. = Congratulations on the promotion! I was very happy with the news.

6. Não fique nervoso porque não adianta nada! = Don’t get nervous because it doesn’t help with anything.

To talk about emotions in Portuguese with confidence, practice with your Portuguese teacher using real-life examples in different contexts. Practice with the verbs Ser, Estar, and Ficar, as these are important and useful verbs.

Street Smart Brazil offers one-on-one lessons via video meetings. We have been helping learners around the globe speak Portuguese with confidence for over a decade. Book a Trial Lesson with us to see the benefits of learning with a friendly and professional tutor.

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About Luciana Lage

I’m Luciana, founder of Street Smart Brazil. I am so happy to be able to help you in your Portuguese speaking journey! Teaching Portuguese as a foreign language was one of the best things that could have happened in my life. I’ve had the privilege of teaching Portuguese at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. Now I am fully dedicated to the Street Smart Brazil community.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Philip

    November 14, 2017 at 10:31 am

    Hi – thanks for the post. I just wanted to double-check number 4:
    Ontem Ana deu um bolo em Mário.

    Does this really mean that she stood him up yesterday? I read it and thought she gave him a cake yesterday.

    Reply
    • Luciana Lage

      November 15, 2017 at 5:06 pm

      It is an idiomatic expression. Dar um bolo literally means to give a cake, but colloquially it means to stand someone up.

      Reply

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