Your mood describes how you feel more generally at a particular time, rather than one specific emotional reaction.
In French, être de bonne humeur and être de mauvaise humeur let you describe your general mood, while expressions such as aller mieux describe changes in how you feel.
Being in a good or bad mood
Use être de bonne humeur and être de mauvaise humeur to describe someone's general mood:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| être de bonne humeur | to be in a good mood |
| être de mauvaise humeur | to be in a bad mood |
These expressions do not change with the person you describe:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis de bonne humeur. | I'm in a good mood. |
| Marie est de bonne humeur. | Marie is in a good mood. |
| Thomas est de mauvaise humeur. | Thomas is in a bad mood. |
| Les enfants sont de bonne humeur. | The children are in a good mood. |
Saying when you are in a certain mood
Time expressions let you say when someone is in a good or bad mood:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| aujourd'hui | today |
| ce matin | this morning |
| cet après-midi | this afternoon |
| ce soir | this evening |
| maintenant | now |
You can put these expressions at the beginning or end of the sentence:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Aujourd'hui, je suis de bonne humeur. | Today, I'm in a good mood. |
| Paul est de mauvaise humeur ce matin. | Paul is in a bad mood this morning. |
| Cet après-midi, je suis de bonne humeur. | This afternoon, I'm in a good mood. |
| Je suis de mauvaise humeur maintenant. | I'm in a bad mood now. |
Saying that you feel better
Use aller mieux when someone's mood or general condition has improved:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| aller mieux | to feel better |
| aller moins bien | to feel worse / not as well |
For example:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ça va mieux. | I'm feeling better. |
| Je vais mieux aujourd'hui. | I'm feeling better today. |
| Marie va mieux maintenant. | Marie is feeling better now. |
| Aujourd'hui, ça va moins bien. | I'm not doing as well today. |
Adding aujourd'hui or maintenant lets you connect the change to the present time without introducing past-tense forms.
Asking about someone's mood
You can ask directly whether someone is in a good mood or whether they are feeling better:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Tu es de bonne humeur ? | Are you in a good mood? |
| Vous êtes de bonne humeur aujourd'hui ? | Are you in a good mood today? |
| Ça va mieux ? | Are you feeling better? |
| Paul va mieux ? | Is Paul feeling better? |
These questions are more specific than the general Comment ça va ?
From learning to practice
At different points during the day, think about your general mood and try to describe it in French. Use de bonne humeur or de mauvaise humeur, and notice whether you can say ça va mieux when your mood improves.