A1. Lesson 5: The Verb ESTAR + Feelings and Emotions

🎯 Goal: Understand how to use ESTAR with emotions and temporary states. Learn basic emotional vocabulary and apply it in real-life contexts like describing your mood or location. Practice listening, speaking, and grammar to respond naturally in everyday conversations.

🧠 Grammar Focus: Estar (Present Tense)

The verb ESTAR is one of two key verbs in Spanish that mean ‘to be’ (the other is SER).

Unlike SER (which we learned in Lesson 4 for identity, professions, and permanent characteristics), ESTAR is used for temporary states, such as emotions, feelings, and locations. 

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use estar to talk about how you feel and where you are.

📝 Examples:

• Estoy feliz. – I am happy. (emotion😃)
• Estoy en casa. – I am at home. (location🏠)
• El libro está sobre la mesa. – The book is on the table. (location📖)
• ¿Cómo estás? – How are you? (feelings or state of being🤔)
• Estoy cansado. – I am tired. (feelings😮‍💨)

🔔 Note:

SER is for permanent traits (e.g., Soy alto – I am tall ), while ESTAR is for temporary states or locations (e.g., Estoy cansado – I am tired ).

Here is the present tense conjugation of ESTAR with subject pronouns:

📝 Examples:

• Tú estás feliz. – You are happy.
• Nosotros estamos cansados. – We are tired.
• Ella está en casa. – She is at home.
• El libro está en el escritorio. – The book is on the desk.

🔔 Notes:

1. Use ESTAR for temporary states (emotions, feelings) and locations.

2. The vosotros form (estáis) is optional for A1 learners, as it’s mainly used in Spain. Focus on ustedes (están) for Latin American Spanish.

📚 Vocabulary: Feelings & Emotions

Here are 20 adjectives to describe feelings and emotions. Use these with ESTAR to express how you or others feel.

👫 Gender Note:

1. Adjectives ending in -O (e.g., cansado, contento) change to -A for feminine subjects:

• Él está cansado.
• Ella está cansada.
• Él está contento.
• Ella está contenta.

2. Adjectives like feliz, triste, alegre do not change for gender:

• Él está feliz.
• Ella está feliz.
• Él está triste.
• Ella está triste.

↩️ Flashсards

🧩  Quiz: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct form of ESTAR.

🔍  Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct form of ESTAR.

📌  Vocabulary Quiz

Select the correct response from the options below.

1.

relajado aburrido alegre

2.

triste cansado contento

3.

feliz triste alegre

4.

enfermo frustrado sorprendido

5.

feliz cansado ocupado

6.

enfermo ocupado nervioso

7.

agotado contento relajado

8.

enojado nervioso enfermo

9.

relajado confundido emocionado

Complete Quiz

Quiz Results:

Total Correct Answers:

🗣️ Listening + Shadowing Practice

Practice your pronunciation by shadowing (repeating after) these short phrases and dialogues using ESTAR and the emotion vocabulary.

Listen to each phrase and repeat during the pause.

🎵 Audio 1:

🎵 Audio 2:

🎧 Listening: Short Dialogue

1. Listen to the conversation twice focusing on comprehension.

2. Fill in the blanks based on what you hear:

🧩 Quick Quiz / Review

Test your understanding with these 7 questions combining vocabulary and ESTAR.

🔍 Fill in the Missing Word

Fill in the gaps in the conversation using words from the list.

↩️ Flashcard: Review Vocabulary

Build your Spanish vocabulary using these flashcards. Go through each card and test yourself on the Spanish meanings.