italiano · A2 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Feelings and reactions
Describe a feeling, its cause, and a change of state.
Understand the choice
Emotion vocabulary gains precision through its complement: orgoglioso di, arrabbiato con/per, deluso da, contento di. Agreement reveals who feels it.
Core rule: Predicate adjectives agree with the person; essere, rimanere, and diventare distinguish state, persistence, and change.
Notice it in context
Sono nervosa per l’esame, ma la mia amica rimane calma.
I am nervous about the exam, but my friend remains calm.
Nervosa agrees with a feminine speaker; per l’esame gives cause; calma agrees with amica.
Siamo orgogliosi del nostro lavoro e felici del risultato.
We are proud of our work and happy with the result.
Orgogliosi and felici agree with plural noi.
La notizia mi ha sorpreso e poi mi sono arrabbiato.
The news surprised me and then I got angry.
Sorpreso is transitive; mi sono arrabbiato is a change/reaction.
What to remember
- Emozionato can mean moved or excited; eccitato can have stronger or sexual senses.
- Essere fiero di is an alternative to orgoglioso di.
Common trap: Do not leave adjectives in masculine singular for every speaker.