German emotions and feelings vocabulary covers a wide range of words used to describe people's inner states and reactions. From joy to sorrow, love to anger, these words help express what we experience and observe in ourselves and others.
- Emotions are the words for specific emotional states (e.g., happiness, sadness, fear).
- Feelings often describe more general or ongoing sensations or moods (e.g., content, anxious).
- German emotional vocabulary typically includes adjectives, nouns, and sometimes verbs.
- Knowing these words improves communication in personal, social, and cultural contexts.
A1-A2 Core Emotions & Feelings
glücklich (happy), traurig (sad), wütend (angry), verliebt (in love) are core emotion words.
| German | English | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| glücklich | happy | adjective | Also: froh |
| traurig | sad | adjective | |
| wütend | angry | adjective | Also: zornig |
| verliebt | in love | adjective | |
| ängstlich | anxious/fearful | adjective | |
| müde | tired | adjective | |
| überrascht | surprised | adjective | |
| zufrieden | content | adjective | |
| nervös | nervous | adjective | |
| stolz | proud | adjective | |
| ich fühle mich... | I feel... | phrase | Basis for expressing feelings |
- Most feelings are expressed with adjectives paired with Ich fühle mich... (I feel...).
- Some are also used as adjectives to describe people or situations directly.
'Ich fühle mich glücklich' and 'Ich bin verliebt' are correct.
'zufrieden' means 'content' or 'satisfied.'
Emotion Nouns
die Freude (joy), die Traurigkeit (sadness), der Ärger (anger), die Liebe (love) are emotion nouns.
| German | English | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| die Freude | joy/pleasure | noun | |
| die Traurigkeit | sadness | noun | |
| der Ärger | anger/annoyance | noun | |
| die Liebe | love | noun | |
| die Angst | fear | noun | |
| der Stolz | pride | noun | |
| die Überraschung | surprise | noun | |
| der Schmerz | pain | noun |
- Nouns are often used with definite articles: die, der.
- They can be subjects of sentences: Die Freude ist groß. (The joy is big.)
The German noun for 'fear' is 'die Angst.'
‘der Stolz’ is ‘pride.’
Common Verbs for Emotions
'fühlen' (to feel), 'lieben' (to love), and 'mögen' (to like) are used for emotions.
| German | English | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| fühlen | to feel | verb | Kann für Emotionen und Physisches verwendet werden |
| lieben | to love | verb | |
| mögen | to like | verb | |
| sich freuen | to be glad/excited | verb | Reflexiv für positive Gefühle |
| ärgern (sich) | to get annoyed | verb | Reflexiv für Ärger |
- Fühlen kann sowohl körperliche als auch emotionale Zustände ausdrücken.
- Sich freuen ist ein reflexives Verb und wird häufig für erwartungsvolle Freude verwendet.
'fühlen' wird benutzt, um Gefühle auszudrücken.
Conclusion
German vocabulary for emotions and feelings lets you express how you and others experience the world, connecting you more deeply in conversations.
- Core words include adjectives like glücklich, traurig, wütend.
- Emotion nouns (die Freude, die Angst) give you tools for more precise expression.
- Verbs like fühlen, lieben, and sich freuen runden das Set für alle Situationen ab.
glücklich, Liebe, Ärger, traurig sind Emotionen.
'zufrieden' bedeutet zufrieden oder glücklich im Sinne von 'content'.
die Freude, die Angst, der Stolz sind Emotionsnomen.