Emotions vocabulary in French, covering essential words for expressing feelings, moods, and states of mind to help you communicate naturally.
Understanding and expressing emotions is a key part of learning any language. In French, emotions are often described using adjectives, but you’ll also find verbs and nouns that help you talk about feelings more precisely. This guide covers the most common French vocabulary for emotions, along with examples to show how they’re used in context.
Common Emotion Adjectives
Here are some of the most common French adjectives used to describe emotions, along with example sentences.
| French Singular | French Plural | Masculine/Feminine | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| heureux / heureuse | heureux / heureuses | M / F | happy | happy | Je suis heureuse aujourd’hui. | I am happy today. |
| triste | tristes | (same) | sad | sad | Il est triste ce matin. | He is sad this morning. |
| en colère | — | (phrase) | angry | — | Elle est en colère contre moi. | She is angry with me. |
| excité / excitée | excités / excitées | M / F | excited | excited | Nous sommes excités pour le voyage. | We are excited for the trip. |
| calme | calmes | (same) | calm | calm | Restez calme, s’il vous plaît. | Stay calm, please. |
| fatigué / fatiguée | fatigués / fatiguées | M / F | tired | tired | Je suis fatigué après le travail. | I am tired after work. |
| nerveux / nerveuse | nerveux / nerveuses | M / F | nervous | nervous | Elle est nerveuse avant l’examen. | She is nervous before the exam. |
| surpris / surprise | surpris / surprises | M / F | surprised | surprised | Je suis surpris par la nouvelle. | I am surprised by the news. |
| effrayé / effrayée | effrayés / effrayées | M / F | scared | scared | L’enfant est effrayé dans le noir. | The child is scared in the dark. |
| déçu / déçue | déçus / déçues | M / F | disappointed | disappointed | Il est déçu par ses résultats. | He is disappointed by his grades. |
Je suis ___ après le travail. (cansado)
How do you say 'tired' in French for a masculine subject?
fatigué
'fatigué' is masculine for 'tired'. 'fatiguée' is feminine, 'heureux' means 'happy', and 'nerveux' means 'nervous'.
Ella está ___ conmigo. (enojada)
Which French phrase means 'angry'?
en colère
'en colère' is the French phrase for 'angry'. The others mean 'tired', 'happy', and 'nervous' respectively.
Other Relevant Adjectives
These additional adjectives help you describe more nuanced emotional states.
| French Singular | French Plural | Masculine/Feminine | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| confus / confuse | confus / confuses | M / F | confused | confused | Je suis confuse par cette question. | I am confused by this question. |
| embarrassé / embarrassée | embarrassés / embarrassées | M / F | embarrassed | embarrassed | Il est embarrassé devant tout le monde. | He is embarrassed in front of everyone. |
| jaloux / jalouse | jaloux / jalouses | M / F | jealous | jealous | Elle est jalouse de sa sœur. | She is jealous of her sister. |
| impatient / impatiente | impatients / impatientes | M / F | impatient | impatient | Je suis impatient de partir. | I am impatient to leave. |
| coupable | coupables | (same) | guilty | guilty | Il se sent coupable d’avoir menti. | He feels guilty for lying. |
Common Emotion Verbs
These verbs are often used to talk about feelings and emotions in French.
| French Verb | English Verb | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ressentir | to feel | Je ressens de la joie aujourd’hui. | I feel joy today. |
| éprouver | to experience/feel | Elle éprouve de la tristesse. | She feels sadness. |
| s’inquiéter | to worry | Je m’inquiète pour mon ami. | I worry about my friend. |
| se réjouir | to be delighted | Nous nous réjouissons de la nouvelle. | We are delighted by the news. |
| craindre | to fear | Il craint l’échec. | He fears failure. |
| s’énerver | to get angry | Elle s’énerve facilement. | She gets angry easily. |
| être de bonne humeur | to be in a good mood | Je suis de bonne humeur aujourd’hui. | I am in a good mood today. |
| être de mauvaise humeur | to be in a bad mood | Il est de mauvaise humeur ce matin. | He is in a bad mood this morning. |
Common Emotion Nouns
These nouns are used to name feelings, states, and emotional experiences.
| French Singular | French Plural | Gender | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| la joie | les joies | F | joy | joys | La joie est contagieuse. | Joy is contagious. |
| la tristesse | les tristesses | F | sadness | sadnesses | La tristesse est difficile à gérer. | Sadness is hard to manage. |
| la colère | — | F | anger | — | La colère ne résout rien. | Anger solves nothing. |
| la peur | — | F | fear | — | La peur est un instinct naturel. | Fear is a natural instinct. |
| le bonheur | — | M | happiness | — | Le bonheur est dans les petites choses. | Happiness is in the little things. |
| la surprise | — | F | surprise | — | Quelle surprise de te voir ici ! | What a surprise to see you here! |
| le regret | — | M | regret | — | J’ai un regret à propos de ce choix. | I have a regret about this choice. |
| l’inquiétude | — | F | worry | — | Son inquiétude grandit chaque jour. | His worry grows every day. |
Expressing Degrees of Emotion
These words help you modify the intensity of emotions in French.
| French Word | English Word | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| très | very | Je suis très heureux. | I am very happy. |
| un peu | a little | Je suis un peu fatigué. | I am a little tired. |
| vraiment | really | Elle est vraiment en colère. | She is really angry. |
| complètement | completely | Il est complètement surpris. | He is completely surprised. |
| assez | quite/enough | Je suis assez nerveux. | I am quite nervous. |
Understanding these core vocabulary sets will help you confidently express a wide range of emotions in French, making your conversations more natural and authentic.
Flashcards (1 of 36)
- Masculine/Feminine: M / F
- English Singular: happy
- English Plural: happy
- English Example: I am happy today.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
