Updated on May 30, 2024
How to talk about emotions and feelings in French
When someone starts to study French, their very first lessons will probably include common phrases like Comment allez-vous ? (How are you?). A little down the line, they may discover how to express their feelings towards something or someone in more detail.
Eventually they’ll learn how to describe themselves, be it their physical appearance and health, or their mood and character.
In all those scenarios and many more, they will need to master the vocabulary around emotions in French to express themselves.
When it comes to feelings, you can either talk about them in a fairly abstract way or in a more pragmatic way – in other words, as a direct reaction to a situation or a mood.
You can even consider them as little characters that inhabit your brain and color your life as the animation movie Vice Versa (Inside Out) brilliantly did. Whatever your point of view on emotions, this vocabulary is bound to prove useful.
Before you can start talking about your general mood, it’s important to first know how to name the main feelings in French.
You may already be familiar with some words like l’amour (love), while others like la haine (hate) are best known for being the titles of famous French films. Here is our list of the most important emotions in French.
| French | English |
| L’amitié (m) | The friendship |
| L’amour (m) | The love |
| L’affection (f) | The affection |
| Le bonheur | The happiness |
| Le chagrin | The sorrow |
| La colère | The anger |
| Le dégoût | The disgust |
| Le désespoir | The hopelessness |
| La douleur | The pain |
| L’émotion (f) | The emotion |
| L’ennui (m) | The boredom |
| L’envie (f) | The urge, the yearning |
| L’espoir (m) | The hope |
| La fierté | The pride |
| La haine | The hate |
| La honte | The shame |
| L’humeur (f) | The mood |
| La jalousie | The jealousy |
| La joie | The joy |
| La peur | The fear |
| Le sentiment | The feeling |
| La tendresse | The tenderness |
| La tristesse | The sadness |
In French, asking “how are you” is as common, polite and harmless as talking about the weather. It’s often the first question that pops up when you arrive in the office or when you pick up your child at school. Which also makes it one of the first questions you need to learn in French.
In various scenarios, whether consoling a distressed friend, checking up on a French relative, or simply expressing concern for someone’s well-being, there exists an appropriate question.
These phrases, ranging from formal to informal, are commonly used in French discourse.
While they may not elicit elaborate responses, they serve as a general inquiry into someone’s state of being.
Ideally, this question isn’t needed frequently. It’s typically employed when someone exhibits signs of distress or sends a troubling message.
“Qu’est-ce que tu as ?” is another variant to ask “What’s wrong?” However, its tone can be perceived as more assertive, for example: “What is wrong with you?” Thus, it’s best used judiciously.
This phrase is commonly heard in medical contexts, either when a doctor inquires of a patient or vice versa. Understanding the context for this question and the verb “sentir” (to feel) is beneficial.
If you’re curious or genuinely concerned about someone’s emotions, this phrase proves useful. It can be adjusted for formal use:
“Pouquoi êtes-vous triste ?”
If someone appears crestfallen, asking this question can offer insight into their feelings.
Remember to select the appropriate gender form— “déçu” for masculine singular and “déçue” for feminine singular—when employing this phrase.
If you want to learn how to ask questions in French, also consider learning the right question words and how to use them for the purpose you have in mind.
The following table gives you a few options, with the pronouns “vous” (formal “you” when talking to one person or both formal and informal when talking to more than one person) and “tu” (informal “you” when talking to one person). While the first questions of the table are generic, the last four rows of questions are used when something already seems wrong.
You’re not feeling well?
What’s wrong?
Ça ne va pas ?
Is there something wrong?
Expressing your feelings (exprimer ses sentiments) can be done in the following ways:
This method is straightforward and widely used. Simply state your current emotion (ensuring it agrees with your gender), and you’ve effectively communicated your feelings.
Another common expression for conveying emotions. Insert your emotion after the phrase. If the reflexive verb structure seems unfamiliar, don’t worry; focus on remembering the phrase for now.
Certain emotions in French employ the construction with “avoir” (to have) instead of “être” (to be). You might have encountered this with expressions like “J’ai faim” (I’m hungry, literally, I have hunger).
Here are a few examples:
“J’ai peur de quelque chose.” (I’m scared of something.)
“J’ai mal à la tête.” (My head hurts.)
“J’ai honte de quelque chose.” (I’m ashamed of something.)
If you are de bonne humeur (in a good mood), here are a few useful adjectives in French to express your happy state of mind. To make it easier on you, we have provided both the masculine and the feminine forms of adjectives, whenever relevant.
| French | English |
| amoureux/amoureuse | In love |
| content(e) | pleased |
| enthousiaste | enthusiastic |
| fier/fière | proud |
| heureux/heureuse | happy |
| intéressé(e) | interested |
| joyeux/joyeuse | joyful |
| ravi(e) | delighted |
| satisfait(e) | satisfied |
If you are feeling a little bit sorry for yourself, the following words will help you to describe your exact mood.
| French | English |
| déçu(e) | disappointed |
| dégoûté(e) | disgusted |
| déprimé(e) | depressed |
| désolé(e) | sorry |
| effrayé(e) | scared |
| en colère | angry |
| énervé(e) | irritated/annoyed |
| furieux/furieuse | furious |
| gêné(e) | embarassed |
| honteux/honteuse | ashamed |
| inquiet/inquiète | worried |
| jaloux/jalouse | jealous |
| malheureux/malheureuse | unhappy |
| mécontent(e) | discontent/dissatisfied |
| nerveux/nerveuse | nervous |
| triste | sad |
| vexé(e) | upset |
Another essential phrase in any language – “I miss you“, can also be expressed in French in a number of ways. For example: Tu me manques.
It is hardly surprising that such a common topic should have its fair share of idioms. Here are some of the most frequent expressions to say how you feel in French.
| French expression | Literal translation | Actual meaning |
| avoir le cafard | to have the cockroach | to feel blue/down |
| avoir la pêche | to have the peach | to feel great/in top form |
| casser les pieds à quelqu’un | to break the feet to somebody | to get on somebody’s nerve |
| être bien dans sa peau | to be well in one’s skin | to feel at ease/comfortable with oneself |
| être bien luné(e) | to be well mooned | to be in a good mood |
| être mal dans sa peau | to be bad in one’s skin | to be ill-at-ease/uncomfortable with oneself |
| être mal luné(e) | to be badly mooned | to be grumpy |
| ne pas être dans son assiette | not to be in one’s plate | to be under the weather |
Learning vocabulary for emotions in French is the first step to learning how to ask and talk about feelings. You may use it as part of your daily greeting, for instance when you check up on your French colleagues in the morning, or to have more in-depth conversations about your state of mind.
In this section, let’s explore some of the questions those learning French often ask about French emotions and feelings vocabulary.
In French, various emotions are expressed through words like “joie” (joy), “tristesse” (sadness), “colère” (anger), “peur” (fear), and “amour” (love).
You can also use adjectives to describe how someone is feeling. For example, “Elle se sent heureuse.”
Five feeling words in French could include “heureux/heureuse” (happy), “triste” (sad), “en colère” (angry), “effrayé/effrayée” (scared), and “amoureux/amoureuse” (in love).
Opinions on beauty may vary, but “lumière” (light) is often considered one of the most beautiful French words, evoking both visual and metaphorical brightness.
In French, feelings of sadness might be expressed with phrases like “Je me sens triste” (I feel sad) or “Je suis désolé/désolée” (I am sorry), along with words such as “chagrin” (similar to the English word for grief) or “déception” (disappointment).
In French vocabulary, words for feelings and emotions are the linguistic tools that can unlock deeper connections and empathy.
From the simple inquiry “Comment vous sentez-vous ?” (How are you feeling?) to the nuanced nuances of “joie” (joy) and “tristesse” (sadness), French offers a myriad of ways to speak and understand our innermost sentiments.
So, let us continue to ask and answer, to speak with sincerity, and to find pleasure in the shared understanding of our diverse emotional landscape.
