estado de ánimo
/estado de animo/from spelling rulesmasculine
In Spanish, mood is expressed as estado de ánimo. Wiktionary also lists humor m ánimo.
Meaning: mental state (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| estado de ánimo | /estado de animo/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| humor m ánimo | /umoɾ m animo/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
The term is used to describe a person's mental state. While you can use humor m ánimo to discuss temperament, it is more natural to use the phrase estar de buen humor when you want to say someone is 'in a good mood' rather than tener un buen estado de ánimo.
Which one should you use?
estado de ánimo refers to a general mental state. In contrast, humor is often used to describe a person's temporary temperament or disposition (e.g., estar de buen humor).
How does it change in a sentence?
Both humor m ánimo and estado de ánimo are masculine nouns.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use 'humor' to mean 'funny/humorous', but in Spanish, humor is the standard word for 'mood' or 'temperament'.
Did you know?
- The word estado comes from the Latin status, which was originally a unit of measurement representing the approximate height of a grown man.
- The Spanish humor is a cognate of the English 'humor', stemming from the ancient medical theory that human mood was controlled by four bodily fluids called 'humours'.
- The word ánimo can also be used as a command to mean 'cheer up' or 'go for it'. While it literally refers to your spirit or mood, shouting ¡Ánimo! is a common way to encourage someone during a difficult task.
Examples in context
- El estado de ánimo de Tom ha cambiado.Tom's mood has changed.This sentence shows how to describe a change in someone's estado de ánimo.Tatoeba #5779855 by MrMultilingual, translation #3592914 by CK
- El nombre que elige un jugador refleja quizá sus preferencias o su estado de ánimo.The name a player chooses might reflect their preferences or their mood.This sentence illustrates how a person's choice might reflect their estado de ánimo.Tatoeba #3359267 by marcelostockle, translation #10056078 by espamatics
- Estoy de buen ánimo hoy.I'm in a good mood today.
- ¡Ánimo! Todo va a salir bien.Cheer up! Everything will be fine.
- Hoy tengo mal humor, mejor no me molestes.I'm in a bad mood today, better not to bother me.
- Estoy realmente de buen humor.I'm really in a good mood.
- Tengo un humor bastante malo.I'm in a pretty bad mood.
- Tengo un estado de ánimo enérgico.I have an energetic mood.
- Mi estado de ánimo es muy bueno hoy.My mood is very good today.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about how their day is going.
- SofíaHola Mateo, ¿tienes un mal estado de ánimo hoy?Hi Mateo, are you in a bad mood today?
- MateoSí, no dormí bien anoche.Yes, I didn't sleep well last night.
- SofíaLo siento, espero que te sientas mejor pronto.I'm sorry, I hope you feel better soon.
- MateoGracias, Sofía, ya me estoy sintiendo mejor.Thanks, Sofía, I'm already feeling better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mood” translations and entries estado de ánimo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, estado, humor, ánimo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
