Talk About Feelings in Portuguese: Estou Feliz, Cansado, or Nervoso
Use estar with common feeling adjectives and add porque to explain what is affecting your mood.
Real Life Portuguese · 7 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Use estar plus an adjective to describe how you feel now: estou feliz (I’m happy), estou cansado or cansada (I’m tired), estou nervoso or nervosa (I’m nervous). The adjective agrees with the speaker’s gender in these examples.
Use estar to describe a current feeling
A current feeling is usually presented as a state. For a broader guide to states, identity, and change, see our article comparing ser and estar.
Estou um pouco cansada hoje.
I’m a little tired today.
Ele está animado com a viagem.
He’s excited about the trip.
A gente está preocupada com o horário.
We’re worried about the schedule.
Ask someone how they feel
Como você está? can ask how someone is doing. If you want to ask about a specific feeling, say você está bem? or você está animado para o evento? (are you excited about the event?).
Tone and relationship shape how personal the question feels. Give the other person room to answer, and avoid treating a short reply as a full explanation.
Como você está hoje?
How are you feeling today?
Você está bem?
Are you okay?
Você está com vontade de sair?
Do you feel like going out?
Add a reason with porque
Use porque to explain why you feel a certain way. A short reason such as dormi pouco (I slept little) or tenho uma apresentação (I have a presentation) makes the sentence more informative.
Choose the amount of detail that fits the conversation. If you do not want to discuss the reason, you can answer briefly and change the topic.
Estou feliz porque vou ver meus amigos.
I’m happy because I’m going to see my friends.
Estou nervoso porque é minha primeira reunião.
I’m nervous because it’s my first meeting.
Ela está cansada porque trabalhou até tarde.
She’s tired because she worked late.
Put it into practice
Pick three adjectives that match your daily life and create one sentence for each with estar and a specific day or reason.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Do you feel like going out”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.