Spanish word of the week: contento

This week’s Spanish word of the week is contento.

Contento is an adjective that means happy or pleased. You can listen to the pronunciation of contento in the audio clip below:

When you are happy or pleased about something, contento is the word you need. It sounds like the English adjective content, but unlike the English is not formal. Remember that you use it with estar, and not ser:

Estaba contento porque era su cumpleaños.  He was happy because it was his birthday.  

No está contenta con su trabajo. She is not happy in her job.

Estamos contentos de tus progresos. We are pleased with your progress.

¿Estás contenta de que te hayan* ascendido? Are you pleased that you’ve been promoted?

Contento is often used with the suffix -ísimo (the ‘superlative’), which translates as delighted:

Dice que está contentísimo por la noticia. He says he’s delighted with the news.

You also often use it with the verb ponerse, to be, to become:

Se puso muy contenta al saber la decisión. She was very pleased when she found out about the decision.

 (* = subjunctive)

Come back next week for another insight into Spanish vocabulary!