Ser vs Estar in Spanish: Using estar (not ser) when talking about feelings and emotions

Take the fastest path to fluent Spanish
In Spanish we use verb estar (not ser) to talk about feelings, emotions, and physical conditions or states of people. 
Have a look and listen to these examples:

Estoy muy preocupada por el exámen de mañana.I am very worried about tomorrow's exam.

Todos estaban enfadados con el jefe.They were all angry with the boss.

¿Estáis felices con el regalo?Are you happy with your present?

Feelings and emotions are considered as temporary states, and this is why we use estar and not ser.  It is possible to have the same sort of sentence with ser and the meaning will change. For example:

Alejandro es un chico feliz.Alejandro is a happy guy.

In this last sentence Alejandro is not happy temporarily, rather "happy" is his permanent characteristic, i.e he is always smiling and positive.

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

Todos estaban enfadados con el jefe.They were all angry with the boss.
¿Estáis felices con el regalo?Are you happy with your present?
Alejandro es un chico feliz.Alejandro is a happy guy.
Estoy muy preocupada por el exámen de mañana.I am very worried about tomorrow's exam.
Thinking...