emocionarse
verbCEFR B1
What does “emocionarse” mean in English?
to be moved / to get emotional
to be moved / to get emotional (emocionarse por/con algo; reflexive experiencer; describes visible emotional reaction, typically near-tears; false cognate: NOT 'to get excited')
Example sentences
Me emocioné mucho cuando vi que todos mis amigos habían viajado desde tan lejos para estar en mi graduación, y no pude evitar llorar.
I was really moved when I saw that all my friends had travelled from so far away to be at my graduation, and I couldn't help crying.
El actor se emocionó visiblemente durante el discurso de agradecimiento porque nombró a su madre, que había fallecido ese mismo año.
The actor became visibly emotional during his acceptance speech because he mentioned his mother, who had passed away that same year.
Siempre me emociono con las despedidas — no importa cuántas veces lo haya hecho, siempre es igual de difícil.
I always get emotional at goodbyes — no matter how many times I have done it, it is always just as hard.
How to use it
Emocionarse means 'to be moved / to get emotional' — it describes the experiencer becoming visibly affected by strong emotion, typically joy, sadness, or nostalgia. It does NOT mean 'to get excited' (that is emocionarse in a loose colloquial sense) or 'to become emotional' in the sense of 'to lose control'. The reflexive marker se is obligatory and shows the subject as the experiencer. The preposition por introduces the cause: emocionarse por algo / con algo (both con and por are in use). This is a common false cognate trap: English 'emotion' → emocionar, but 'to get emotional / to be moved' → emocionarse, not 'to get an emotion'.
Common mistake
Emocionarse does NOT mean 'to get excited about something' — use entusiasmarse or ilusionarse for that. Emocionarse specifically means being moved to near-tears or strong visible feeling. The reflexive se is not optional.