How to Say Happy in Spanish: Feliz, Contento and Alegre
“Happy” in Spanish is feliz (plural felices), pronounced “feh-LEES” in Latin America and “feh-LEETH” in most of Spain: Soy muy feliz (I’m very happy), ¡Feliz cumpleaños! (Happy birthday!). Two other words cover the rest of what English means by “happy”: contento or contenta (pleased, satisfied with something) and alegre (cheerful, in high spirits).
And when English “I’m happy” really means “I’m glad”, Spanish usually reaches for a verb: Me alegro de verte (I’m happy to see you), Me alegro por ti (I’m happy for you). Below: a quick picker, the difference between ser feliz and estar feliz, how contento and alegre differ, every “Happy …!” greeting, stronger and weaker words, idioms, the mistakes learners make, a dialogue and a practice set with answers.
Which word for “happy”? A quick picker
| What you mean | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| happy with your life, deeply happy | ser feliz | Somos felices en este pueblo. (We’re happy in this town.) |
| happy right now, about something | estar feliz or estar contento/a | Estoy feliz con la noticia. / Estoy contenta con el resultado. |
| pleased, satisfied | estar contento/a con | El jefe está contento con tu trabajo. |
| a cheerful person or mood | ser alegre / estar alegre | Mi abuela es muy alegre. |
| glad about something that happened | alegrarse | Me alegro de que hayas venido. |
| happy for someone else | alegrarse por | ¡Me alegro mucho por ti! |
| happy to do something (willing) | con mucho gusto, encantado/a | Te ayudo con mucho gusto. |
| happy occasions and wishes | feliz / felices | ¡Feliz Navidad! ¡Felices fiestas! |
How to pronounce feliz, contento and alegre
| Word | Latin America | Most of Spain |
|---|---|---|
| feliz | feh-LEES | feh-LEETH |
| felices | feh-LEE-ses | feh-LEE-thes |
| contento | kohn-TEN-toh | kohn-TEN-toh |
| alegre | ah-LEH-greh | ah-LEH-greh |
| felicidad | feh-lee-see-DAHD | feh-lee-thee-DAHD |
The “s” versus “th” split for z (and c before e or i) is a regional accent, not a mistake: Latin America, the Canary Islands and parts of Andalusia say “s”, most of Spain says “th”. Pick one and be consistent. The r in alegre is a single quick tap, like the “tt” in American “better”.
Feliz: ser feliz or estar feliz?
Both are correct, and both are common. The difference is a shade of meaning, not a rule you can break:
- Ser feliz talks about happiness as part of your life or your nature: Es un niño feliz (He’s a happy child), Solo quiero que seas feliz (I just want you to be happy), Fueron felices muchos años (They were happy for many years).
- Estar feliz talks about how you feel at the moment, often because of something: Hoy estoy muy feliz (I’m very happy today), Está feliz con su bici nueva (She’s happy with her new bike).
In everyday Latin American Spanish especially, estar feliz is heard a great deal, sometimes where a textbook might expect ser. If you are unsure, estoy feliz for a feeling today and soy feliz for your life in general will always be understood correctly. There is more on the two verbs in ser vs estar.
Agreement: feliz has one form for men and women and changes only for number, with z becoming c: un hombre feliz, una mujer feliz, unos niños felices, unas vacaciones felices. It usually goes after the noun (un final feliz, a happy ending), but in greetings it comes first: ¡Feliz año!
Contento: pleased, satisfied
Contento is milder and more down-to-earth than feliz. It is the word for being pleased with a result, a purchase, a decision or a person’s work. It changes for gender and number: contento, contenta, contentos, contentas. And it goes with estar: Estoy contento, never Soy contento in modern Spanish.
- Estamos muy contentos con el piso nuevo. (We’re really happy with the new flat.)
- ¿Estás contenta con tu decisión? (Are you happy with your decision?)
- Está contento de volver a casa. (He’s happy to be going home.)
- Los clientes no están contentos. (The customers aren’t happy.)
Use contento con + a thing or person, contento de + an infinitive, and contento de que + a verb in the subjunctive: Estoy contenta de que te guste (I’m happy you like it). In a review or a work email, estar satisfecho (satisfied) is the more formal neighbour.
Alegre: cheerful, lively
Alegre describes cheerfulness you can see or hear. It has one form for both genders (alegre, plural alegres) and works with both verbs:
- Ser alegre: a cheerful person by nature. Mi compañera es muy alegre; siempre está cantando.
- Estar alegre: in high spirits at the moment. Hoy estás muy alegre, ¿qué ha pasado? Careful: after a few drinks, estar alegre also means “merry” or a bit tipsy, so context matters.
- For things: alegre works where feliz sounds odd: una canción alegre (an upbeat song), colores alegres (bright, cheerful colours), un barrio alegre (a lively neighbourhood).
The noun is la alegría (joy, cheerfulness), and ¡Qué alegría! is the natural reaction to good news: “How wonderful!”
Me alegro: the verb for “I’m glad”
A lot of English “I’m happy…” sentences are reactions to news. Spanish handles these with alegrarse (to be glad) or alegrar (to make glad):
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| I’m happy to see you. | Me alegro de verte. / Me alegra verte. |
| I’m so happy for you! | ¡Me alegro mucho por ti! |
| I’m happy (that) you came. | Me alegro de que hayas venido. |
| I’m glad it went well. | Me alegro de que haya salido bien. |
| That makes me happy. | Eso me alegra. |
| You made my day. | Me has alegrado el día. / Me alegraste el día. |
After me alegro de que and me alegra que, the next verb goes in the subjunctive (hayas venido, estés aquí), even when the thing you are glad about is a plain fact. “For you” is por ti, not para ti.
“Happy …!” greetings and set phrases
| English | Spanish | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Happy birthday! | ¡Feliz cumpleaños! | Also simply ¡Felicidades! |
| Happy New Year! | ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! / ¡Feliz año! | ¡Próspero Año Nuevo! is the card version. |
| Merry Christmas! | ¡Feliz Navidad! | In Spain you will also hear ¡Felices Pascuas! at Christmas. |
| Happy holidays! | ¡Felices fiestas! | Plural, so felices. |
| Happy Easter! | ¡Felices Pascuas! / ¡Feliz Pascua! | Pascua alone usually means Easter. |
| Happy anniversary! | ¡Feliz aniversario! | |
| Happy Mother’s Day! / Father’s Day! | ¡Feliz Día de la Madre! / ¡Feliz Día del Padre! | Dates differ by country. |
| Happy Valentine’s Day! | ¡Feliz Día de San Valentín! | Many countries say Día del Amor y la Amistad. |
| Happy Thanksgiving! | ¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias! | Mostly heard among US Spanish speakers. |
| Have a good weekend! | ¡Buen fin de semana! | ¡Feliz fin de semana! is also used, especially in messages. |
| Congratulations! | ¡Felicidades! / ¡Felicitaciones! | Felicitaciones is more Latin American. |
| a happy ending | un final feliz | |
| happy hour | la hora feliz | Many bars simply write “happy hour”. |
The birthday song depends on where you are. In Spain and many other countries people sing Cumpleaños feliz to the familiar tune; in Mexico the traditional birthday song is Las mañanitas, often sung first thing in the morning. For other everyday wishes, see how to say “have a good day” in Spanish.
Happy wishes for cards and messages
A greeting on its own can feel bare in a card or a message. These are natural lines native speakers write, from casual to more formal:
| Occasion | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday, to a friend | ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Que pases un día genial y que cumplas muchos más. | Happy birthday! Have a great day, and many happy returns. |
| Birthday, to a colleague | Muchas felicidades en tu día. Que este año te traiga mucha salud y alegría. | Many happy returns of the day. May this year bring you health and happiness. |
| New Year | ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Te deseo un año lleno de felicidad. | Happy New Year! Wishing you a year full of happiness. |
| Christmas, to a family | Os deseamos (Spain) / Les deseamos una feliz Navidad y un próspero año nuevo. | We wish you a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. |
| Wedding | ¡Enhorabuena a los dos! Que seáis (Spain) / sean muy felices. | Congratulations to you both! Wishing you every happiness. |
| Good news | ¡Qué buena noticia! Me alegro un montón. | What great news! I’m so happy. |
Notice Que seáis felices and Que pases un día genial: a wish that starts with que takes the subjunctive, the Spanish way of saying “may you…”. Enhorabuena is the usual “congratulations” in Spain for achievements and weddings, while ¡Felicidades! works everywhere and for birthdays too.
Other English uses of “happy”
English stretches “happy” further than Spanish stretches feliz. When “happy” means something other than a feeling, translate the meaning, not the word:
| English | Meaning | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| I’m happy to wait. | I don’t mind | No me importa esperar. / Espero sin problema. |
| Are you happy with that? | Do you agree? | ¿Te parece bien? |
| I’m not happy about it. | I don’t like it | No me hace ninguna gracia. / No me gusta nada. |
| a happy coincidence | fortunate | una feliz coincidencia |
| Happy to help! | you’re welcome | ¡Con mucho gusto! / ¡Un placer! |
Stronger, softer and related words
| Word | Meaning and shade | Example |
|---|---|---|
| encantado/a | delighted; also “pleased to meet you” | Está encantada con el regalo. |
| satisfecho/a | satisfied; also “full” after eating | Estamos satisfechos con el servicio. |
| radiante | beaming, glowing | La novia estaba radiante. |
| eufórico/a | elated, overjoyed | Los aficionados estaban eufóricos tras el gol. |
| emocionado/a, ilusionado/a | excited, looking forward to something | Estoy muy ilusionada con el viaje. |
| de buen humor | in a good mood | Hoy el profe está de buen humor. |
| dichoso/a | fortunate, blessed (literary); in Spain also ironic, “that blessed…” | ¡Dichosos los ojos! (How nice to see you!) / El dichoso ruido no para. |
| afortunado/a | lucky | Soy afortunado. / Tengo suerte. |
| la felicidad | happiness | Te deseo mucha felicidad. |
| la alegría | joy, cheerfulness | ¡Qué alegría verte! |
| hacer feliz | to make (someone) happy | Me haces muy feliz. |
Afortunado takes ser (Somos afortunados de vivir aquí), and many speakers simply say tener suerte. Estar afortunado is not used. For the opposite feelings, see how to say “sad” in Spanish.
Idioms for being very happy
- Estar en el séptimo cielo: to be in seventh heaven, on cloud nine. (Estar en las nubes is different: it means daydreaming.)
- Estar como niño con zapatos nuevos: to be as pleased as a child with new shoes, thrilled with something new.
- No caber en sí de alegría / de gozo: to be bursting with joy. Cuando supo que iba a ser abuela, no cabía en sí de alegría.
- Sonreír de oreja a oreja: to grin from ear to ear.
- Estar más contento que unas pascuas (Spain): to be as happy as can be.
- Estar como unas castañuelas (Spain): to be full of beans, very cheerful.
- Ser la alegría de la huerta (Spain): to be the life and soul of the party.
Mistakes to avoid
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Soy contento. | Estoy contento. | contento goes with estar. |
| Ellas son feliz. / felizes | Ellas son felices. | Plural of feliz is felices (z → c). |
| Ella está contento. | Ella está contenta. | contento agrees with the person. |
| Me alegro para ti. | Me alegro por ti. | “Happy for you” uses por. |
| Estoy feliz de que vienes. | Estoy feliz de que vengas. | Subjunctive after an emotion + que. |
| Estoy afortunado. | Soy afortunado. / Tengo suerte. | afortunado takes ser. |
| Estoy en la nube nueve. | Estoy en el séptimo cielo. | English idioms do not translate word for word. |
| ¡Feliz fiestas! | ¡Felices fiestas! | fiestas is plural. |
One thing that is not a mistake: Estoy feliz. Learners are sometimes told that feliz only works with ser, but native speakers use both every day.
A short dialogue
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Marta: ¡Hola, Diego! Te veo muy alegre hoy. | Hi, Diego! You look very cheerful today. |
| Diego: ¡Es que me dieron el trabajo! Empiezo el lunes. | That’s because I got the job! I start on Monday. |
| Marta: ¡Qué alegría! Me alegro muchísimo por ti. | That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you. |
| Diego: Gracias. Estoy contento con el sueldo y el equipo parece simpático. | Thanks. I’m happy with the salary and the team seems nice. |
| Marta: ¿Y tu familia? | And your family? |
| Diego: Mi madre está como niña con zapatos nuevos. Ya se lo ha contado a medio barrio. | My mum is thrilled. She’s already told half the neighbourhood. |
| Marta: Normal. Bueno, ¡felicidades! Te mereces ser feliz. | Of course. Well, congratulations! You deserve to be happy. |
Practice
Choose the best word or form.
- Estamos muy ______ (contento) con el hotel.
- ¡______ fiestas a todos! (Happy holidays)
- Me alegro mucho ______ ti.
- Mi hija es una niña muy ______: siempre está riendo. (cheerful)
- Me alegra que ______ (estar, tú) aquí.
- Los recién casados son muy ______ (feliz).
- ¡Feliz ______! Ya tienes treinta años.
- Ella ______ contenta con su nota. (estar/ser)
- ¡______! Me han dicho que has aprobado. (Congratulations!)
- Te ayudo con mucho ______.
Answers: 1. contentos. 2. Felices. 3. por. 4. alegre. 5. estés. 6. felices. 7. cumpleaños. 8. está. 9. Felicidades (or Felicitaciones). 10. gusto.
Quick answers
What is the difference between feliz and contento?
Feliz is the general, deeper word for happy and works with ser or estar. Contento means pleased or satisfied, usually about something specific, and goes with estar.
Is it soy feliz or estoy feliz?
Both. Soy feliz is about your life in general; estoy feliz is about how you feel now or about a particular event.
How do you say “I’m happy for you” in Spanish?
Me alegro por ti, or warmer, ¡Me alegro muchísimo por ti! To a person you address as usted: Me alegro por usted.
How do you say “happy” for a girl?
Feliz does not change: Ella es feliz. Contento does: Ella está contenta. Alegre stays the same: Ella es alegre.
What is “happiness” in Spanish?
La felicidad. For the feeling of joy or cheerfulness in a moment, la alegría. More everyday vocabulary is in the Spanish vocabulary hub.
