emocional
/emoθjoˈnal/
The Spanish word for emotional is emocional.
The adjective emocional is used to describe things characterized by or related to emotion, such as emotional intelligence or emotional wounds.
Meaning: characterised by emotion (adj)
Which one should you use?
While emocional describes things related to emotions, it is not typically used to mean 'sentimental' as the English word might. For a person who is easily moved to tears or filled with sentiment, you might use sentimental or sensible depending on the context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective emocional is gender-neutral, meaning it remains the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. To make the adjective plural, add -es to form emocionales.
How do you pronounce it?
/emoθjoˈnal/
Did you know?
- While the English word 'sensible' means having good judgment, the Spanish word sensible describes someone who is emotional or sensitive.
- In Spanish, the word emoción originally referred to a 'movement' or 'stirring' of the soul. This reflects the Latin root emovere, meaning to move out or displace.
- Calling a person emocional in Spanish can sound like a clinical or psychological diagnosis rather than a description of their mood.
Examples in context
- Solo podemos imaginarnos cuanto duelen las heridas emocionales.We can only imagine the pain of emotional wounds.This sentence shows how to describe emotional wounds.Tatoeba #1466240 by marcelostockle, translation #10006672 by DJ_Saidez
- Tom es emocional.Tom is emotional.This sentence is useful for stating that a person is emotional.Tatoeba #2230026 by hayastan, translation #2202806 by CK
- Eres muy emocional.You're very emotional.This sentence is useful for telling someone they are very emotional.Tatoeba #8990425 by Shishir, translation #2218482 by CK
- Estoy pasando por un momento emocionalmente difícilI'm going through an emotionally difficult time.
- Ella es una persona muy sensibleShe is a very emotional person.
- Estoy emocionado/a por el conciertoI'm emotional/excited about the concert.
- La historia me dejó conmovido/aThe story left me emotional/moved.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are talking about a sad movie they just watched.
- MateoEsa película fue muy emocional.That movie was very emotional.
- SofíaSí, yo lloré mucho al final.Yes, I cried a lot at the end.
- MateoFue un momento muy emocional para todos.It was a very emotional moment for everyone.
- SofíaEstoy de acuerdo, Mateo.I agree, Mateo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “emotional” translations and entries emocional, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
