Do i use tener or estar for emotions?
Tener miedo = I'm afraid but fear is an emotion and I thought estar was used for emotions. Can you use some example sentences to clear up the difference between the two?

Question

Answer

You generally use "estar" For example:
"I am sad/happy/scared" translates to "Estoy triste/feliz/asustado"

In the case of fear you can Say "Tengo miedo" but it means something like "I feel fear" . However you cannot say *Tengo felicidad/tristeza

Answer

Verbo estar:  
Preguntas: 
A: ¿Cómo estas? 
B: Estoy feliz - or
B: Estoy preocupado. Tengo miedo de perder el autobús (I'm worried. I'm afraid to miss the bus)

Tener miedo: (I'm scared ) We don't use "Estoy con miedo" 
Ejemplos: 
Tengo miedo a la oscuridad 
Mi hermana le tiene miedo a las arañas
Los niños le tienen miedo al payaso del circo
No le tengo miedo a nada (Nothing scares me)
A: ¿A qué le tienes miedo? 
B: Le tengo miedo a las tormentas 
But: 
Ella es una niña miedosa (miedosa is an adjective, in this sentence "She is always scared")
Cuando era pequeño, mi hermano era muy miedoso. ("When he was a child, my brother was always scared")

Answer

estoy + adjective: estoy asustado, estoy dolorido, estoy alegre
tengo + noun: tengo miedo, tengo dolor, tengo (una gran) alegría

Answer

Generally use "estar", but note the different idiomatic expressions:

https://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/tenexp

Answer

You generally use "estar" For example:
"I am sad/happy/scared" translates to "Estoy triste/feliz/asustado"

In the case of fear you can Say "Tengo miedo" but it means something like "I feel fear" . However you cannot say *Tengo felicidad/tristeza

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