German offers a rich vocabulary for describing how you feel. Basic emotions include glücklich (happy), traurig (sad), müde (tired), wütend (angry), and ängstlich (afraid). You might say "Ich bin heute sehr glücklich" (I'm very happy today) or "Warum bist du so traurig?" (Why are you so sad?). After work, "Nach der Arbeit bin ich müde" (After work I'm tired) is a common expression, while anger is expressed with "Er ist wütend auf mich" (He is angry at me). For joy at seeing someone, the adjective froh (glad) is used: "Ich bin froh, dich zu sehen" (I'm glad to see you), and fear can be described with "Das Kind ist ängstlich im Dunkeln" (The child is afraid in the dark).
Personality traits include freundlich (friendly), lustig (funny), nett (nice or kind), geduldig (patient), nervös (nervous), and stolz (proud). You might describe someone as "Die Verkäuferin war sehr freundlich" (The saleswoman was very friendly) or comment "Vor der Prüfung bin ich nervös" (Before the exam I'm nervous). The adjective stolz typically appears with the preposition "auf," as in "Sie ist stolz auf ihre Kinder" (She is proud of her children). Being patient is captured in "Der Lehrer ist geduldig" (The teacher is patient), and a light-hearted situation might lead to "Der Film war wirklich lustig" (The film was really funny). Compliments about people often use nett, as in "Deine Freunde sind sehr nett" (Your friends are very kind).
Several nouns describe emotional states. Die Laune (mood) appears in "Heute habe ich gute Laune" (Today I'm in a good mood), and das Gefühl (feeling) is used in "Ich habe ein gutes Gefühl" (I have a good feeling). The reflexive verb sich fühlen (to feel) is the standard way to ask about emotions: "Wie fühlst du dich?" (How do you feel?). Other useful verbs and expressions include lachen (to laugh), as in "Wir haben viel gelacht" (We laughed a lot), and the phrase Angst haben (to be afraid), used with the preposition "vor": "Ich habe Angst vor Spinnen" (I'm afraid of spiders).