happy

To be happy is to feel good or experience some sort of goodness. The word "happy" is a very basic vocabulary word in English, but you should pay close attention to how it is used:

Use "happy" with the verbs "be," "feel," or "seem."

• Maria is happy.
• Joe feels happy.
• Maria and Joe are happy together.
• They seem happy together. (But we aren’t sure. That’s why "seem" is used.)

When using "happy" with the verb "make," include an object after the verb:

• Her children make her happy.
• His work makes him feel happy.
• A win will make the team happy.
• A sunny day makes everyone happier.
• Problems at work are making me unhappy. (The opposite of "happy" is "unhappy.")

Sometimes the word "happy" is followed by an infinitive:

• I’m happy to be here.
• I’m happy to help you.
• We’re happy to hear the good news.
• We’re happy to see that everyone is okay.
• The teacher is happy to meet you.
• The students are happy to learn new things.

You can also be happy for another person. In this case, you celebrate another person’s good fortune or success:

• I’m happy for you.
• We feel so happy for you.
• Everyone is happy for the newly married couple.
• When Charlene announced that she was pregnant, her coworkers all said that they were happy for her.

The prepositions "about" and "with" are also commonly used with "happy."

• Tom is happy about his new boat.
• He’s happy with his new boat.
• Maria’s happy with her husband.
• She’s happy about living in Nebraska.
• The drivers are happy about the new freeway.
• They’re happy about all the time they are saving on the new freeway.
• We’re happy with our new furniture.
• We’re happy about getting the furniture on sale.

Use the word "happy" when greeting other people for holiday occasions:

• Happy New Year!
• Happy Easter!
• Happy Fourth of July!
• Happy Thanksgiving!

When mixed with a touch of sarcasm, the word "happy" may have the opposite meaning:

• This is all your fault. Are you happy now?
• I hope you’re happy.
• I hope you’re happy with yourself!

The word "happily" is an adverb:

• The students happily returned to school after their vacation.
• The volunteers happily pitched in to help fix the house of an elderly neighbor.
• We happily made a donation to the school.

The word "happiness" is a noun:

• The boy’s happiness could not be contained. (He was so happy he had a hard time controlling himself.)
• Latoya wants to share her happiness with other people.
• Happiness is being able to live in a world of peace.

Don’t Worry Be Happy! — Bobby McFerrin

Click here to learn more vocabulary.

Date of publication: January 8, 2017