Spanish is a very rich language and has several expressions to indicate happiness and contentment. Here are some ideas that can help you broaden your vocabulary and express yourself more accurately.
Steps
Step 1. Start with the basics
The Spanish word for "happy" is "feliz".
Step 2. Add a form of the verb "estar" ("to be"), to indicate the subject (in addition to the tense and verb, which will not be considered in this article) and create a complete sentence
- Estoy feliz ("I'm happy")
- Estás feliz? ("You are happy?")
Step 3. You can try other adjectives, but make sure the gender and number agree with the subject
- Estoy contento / estoy contenta ("I'm happy")
- Están satisfechos ("They are satisfied")
Step 4. Is there anything that makes you happy?
You could try one of these facilities:
- Me alegro de que … ("I'm glad that …")
- Me da mucho gusto que … ("I'm very pleased that …")
Step 5. Use the word for "pleasure"
- Es un placer ("It's a pleasure")
- Ha sido un placer ("It was a pleasure")
- El gusto es mío ("The pleasure is mine")
Advice
- Many of these structures represent clichés. You can learn them as a single block, but pay attention to the agreement between verb and adjective.
- Remember that, in Spanish, there are two ways to indicate the verb "to be". "Ser" expresses a permanent condition; for example "Yo soy feliz leyendo un libro" ("I am [always] happy when I read a book"). "Estar", on the other hand, indicates a temporary condition; "Estoy cansado de comer tortilla" means "I am tired of eating tortilla" (implying that "I will be better off when I eat something different").
- If you want to say "I feel happy", remember that the verb "feel" is reflexive, exactly like in Italian: "Me siento feliz".
- To wish someone "Merry Christmas", you have to say "Feliz Navidad".
- To wish "Happy Birthday", instead, "Feliz cumpleaños".
- The noun for "happiness" in Spanish is "felicidad" (feminine name). In the plural, however, this word means "good wishes" or "congratulations": "¡Felicidades!".
