🎓 Prepared by students from Boğaziçi University

What are Emotions and Feelings?

Emotions and feelings are inner states — happiness, sadness, anger, excitement, fear. In German, you express emotions using verbs like sich fühlen (to feel), sein (to be), and adjectives such as glücklich (happy), traurig (sad), wütend (angry).

Short answer

Emotions are mental and physical states like happiness, sadness, fear, and excitement. German uses verbs (sich fühlen, sein) and adjectives (glücklich, traurig, wütend) to express them.

Common German Emotions & Feelings

x: Emotional State · y: Intensity (arbitrary units)

Step-by-step worked examples

Ich fühle mich glücklich. (I feel happy.)

Verb: sich fühlen (to feel oneself)
Reflexive pronoun: mich (myself)
Adjective: glücklich (happy) — used with sein or fühlen

Sie ist wütend auf ihn. (She is angry with him.)

Adjective: wütend (angry) — feminine, agrees with 'sie'
Preposition: auf (onto/with) + accusative
Pronoun: ihn (him, accusative)

Wir sind nervös vor der Prüfung. (We are nervous before the exam.)

Adjective: nervös (nervous) — plural, agrees with 'wir'
Preposition: vor (before) + dative
Noun: die Prüfung (exam, dative = der Prüfung in context)

Flashcards

Quick quiz

Q1.How do you say 'I feel sad' in German?

Correct answer: C. Both work: 'Ich bin traurig' (I am sad) or 'Ich fühle mich traurig' (I feel sad to myself).

Q2.What does 'wütend' mean?

Correct answer: C. Wütend = angry. Glücklich = happy, traurig = sad, überrascht = surprised.

Q3.Sich fühlen is a _____ verb.

Correct answer: B. Sich fühlen is reflexive — it always includes the reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich, etc.).

Q4.Which preposition pairs with 'nervös' to mean 'nervous about'?

Correct answer: B. Nervös vor = nervous before/about: nervös vor der Prüfung (nervous about the exam).

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Common mistakes

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Forgetting the reflexive pronoun with sich fühlen. — Correct: Always use the reflexive pronoun: Ich fühle mich (not Ich fühle).

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Not making the emotion adjective agree. — Correct: Emotion adjectives agree with the subject: Er ist wütend (masc.), sie sind wütend (plural).

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Using the wrong preposition after an emotion. — Correct: Vor + dative for nervousness: nervös vor der Prüfung, not 'nervös der Prüfung'.

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Confusing 'traurig' (sad) with other negative feelings. — Correct: Traurig = sad; betrübt = sorrowful; niedergeschlagen = depressed — each has nuance.

FAQ

What are emotions and feelings in German?

Mental states like happiness, sadness, anger, and fear, expressed with verbs (sich fühlen) or adjectives (glücklich, traurig).

How do you say 'to feel' in German?

Sich fühlen (reflexive verb). Ich fühle mich… (I feel myself), du fühlst dich… (you feel yourself), etc.

What's the difference between 'ich bin glücklich' and 'ich fühle mich glücklich'?

Both mean 'I am/feel happy'; ich bin is more direct state, ich fühle mich emphasizes the inner feeling.

Do emotion adjectives change in German?

Yes, they agree with the subject's gender and number: er ist wütend (he is angry), sie ist wütend (she is angry).