Are your kids learning Spanish? Then it’s important they learn sad feelings and emotions in Spanish. How come? We all hate when our kids feel sad. That’s why we wish they only knew words to express their happiness, because that’s all we wish they could feel.
But the truth is we can’t always avoid it. Sadness will happen sooner or later for whatever reason. We hope most of the time they’re happy. But when that’s not the case, it’s important they know how to tell their parents, even in a second language.
That’s why we made it our mission to teach you and your kids some of the best Spanish vocabulary to express their tristeza.
20 Words in Spanish to Express Sadness
- Sadness – Tristeza
- Suffer – Sufrir
- Depression – Depresión
- Pain – Dolor
- Nostalgia – Nostalgia
- Melancholy – Melancolía
- Distress / Anguish – Angustia
- Anguish – Congoja
- Sorrow – Tristeza / Pena / Pesar
- Affliction – Aflicción
- Discouragement – Desánimo
- To sadden – Entristecer
- Tears – Lágrimas
- Cry – Llanto
- To cry – Llorar
- Weepy – Llorón
- Misery – Miseria / Desdicha
- Grief – Luto / Duelo
- Grieving – Estar de luto
- Heartbroken – Corazón roto
15 Adjectives in Spanish to Express Sadness
Here are some words that work as Spanish adjectives that kids can use to express they’re sad.
- Sad – Triste
- Unhappy – Infeliz
- Disappointed – Decepcionado / Decepcionada
- Upset – Afectado / Alterado
- Depressed – Deprimido / Deprimida
- Nostalgic – Nostalgico / Nostálgica
- Melancholic – Melancólico
- Sorrowed – Triste
- Afflicted – Afligido
- Discouraged – Desanimado
- Saddened – Entristecido
- Bereaved – Desconsolado
- Downed – Abatido / Decaído
- Miserable – Miserable
- Hopeless – Desilusionado
12 Spanish Phrases for Kids to Express Sadness
- I feel sad. / Me siento triste.
- I’m sad. / Estoy triste.
- I’m feeling down. / Me estoy sintiendo triste.
- Mommy, I want to cry. / Mami, quiero llorar / Mami, tengo ganas de llorar.
- I don’t feel like playing, because I feel discouraged. / No tengo ganas de jugar, porque me siento desanimado.
- I am depressed. / Estoy deprimido.
- Lately, I can’t stop crying. / Últimamente no puedo dejar de llorar.
- I’m downed. / Estoy decaído.
- I’ve been crying ever since my dog passed away. / He estado llorando desde que mi perrito falleció.
- I feel blue. / Me siento chipil / Me siento triste.
- I was feeling fine, but now I’m down. / Me dio el bajón.
- Mom, I’m heartbroken, because Sarah rejected me. / Mamá, tengo el corazón roto porque Sarah me rechazó.
How to Help Your Kids Learn these Words
Use synonyms and antonyms
Let’s say your kids already know the Spanish word for happy (feliz). Then, you could tell them that the antonym of feliz is triste. That way, they’ll learn that triste means sad, because it’s the antonym of happy. Plus, they’ll get to practice words for two different kinds of emotions: happiness and sadness.
To do this, you could use flashcards and write on one card the synonym and antonym of one of the words above. Add some drawings. Keep doing that with the other words and cards. That way, children will be able to study these words more easily whenever they want to.
Even better, after you write the happy and sad words, ask your kid to draw pictures according to each word. So, when they see the word “triste”, they’ll have to draw a sad face and so on. That way, you’ll see if they’re understanding the vocabulary or not.
Plus, drawings are more appealing to kids, they usually love visuals to help themselves, and it’s a fun activity.
Storytelling
You can invent a story or tell a real one, just make sure the story has a moment of sadness. This is not because we want to make your children feel blue, but because they’ll learn better with examples.
So, if you tell them a story of how sad you felt when your flowers died, they’ll understand the feeling better. The story doesn’t even have to have a sad ending. For example: you can tell them that in the end you manage to bring your flowers back to life after a while. That way kids won’t be left with distress.
If your kids are at an advanced Spanish level, tell them the whole story in Spanish. But if they’re just learning, tell everything in English and only say in Spanish the words related to sadness. That way they can figure the meaning of the sad words by the context.
Watch a show in Spanish
Watch their favorite cartoon or series in Spanish and at the end ask them questions about their or the character’s feelings. For example: If in the show, one character lost a toy and started crying, ask them in Spanish how the character felt.
You can say: “¿Cómo crees que se sintió Rick cuando perdió el osito que su abuela le había regalado?” (How do you think Rick felt when he lost the Teddy bear his grandma gave him?)
Or: “¿Cómo te sentiste cuando Leah empezó a llorar? Yo lloré con ella” (How did you feel when Leah started crying? I cried with her). They’ll be forced to answer in Spanish and use their Spanish vocabulary about sadness.
TruFluency Kids Help Children Learn Other Ways of Expressing Themselves in Spanish
Communicating how kids feel should be a priority for them and their parents no matter the language they’re speaking. All kinds of feelings and emotions are an important thing, so we should listen.
Because of that, it’s also important that they learn how to express those feelings in Spanish. TruFluency Kids will give your kids that opportunity.
We offer fun and engaging online Spanish classes based on the Bellieu Method. It consists of speaking using what you’ve learned. So, children will achieve Spanish fluency and be able to communicate what they feel.
They’ll also learn all kinds of vocabulary: for school, for play time, to greet and say goodbye, and more. Everything we teach will be useful for real life.
Because we know that children have a lot of energy and can get bored easily, our native tutors teach through fun activities. There will be songs in Spanish, dancing, crafting, word games, and more.
If you’re still unsure, check our testimonials. Or enroll your children in a trial class to see how much they enjoy learning Spanish with us.
When you feel ready, sign up your kids for our next four-week session and watch them be happy with our fun lessons.
