How to express feelings about a performed action?


I am wondering how I express my feelings about an action that has already
occurred/been performed.

For example, how would I state the following:

  * I am happy to have returned home.
  * I am sad that I missed the train.
  * I am upset that I finished the apples.

My best guess for the first example is the following:  
帰った【かえった】ことが嬉しい【うれしい】。

However, I am unsure about my usage of こと. If it is correct are there other
ways of writing this kind of sentence that I should be aware of?

I know that の is also used for verb nominalisation but as far as I could find
online that would be wrong since the two actions are being performed at
different points in time, right?




Yes, your use of ～た + こと construction is correct. You can express the
sentiment about an event that happened in the **past** at the moment of
feeling.

  * 家に帰れ **た［こと／の］** ‌がうれしい。  
*Equivalent of "happy that --" is typically expressed with potential form, especially for the action of yourself.
  * 電車を逃【の】がし **た［こと／の］** ‌が残念だ。
  * りんごを全部食べてしまっ **たこと** にうろたえている。

However, the sentiment toward **what has (just) happened** is simply described
with the successive function of te-form.

  * 家に帰れ **て** うれしい。
  * 電車を逃がし（てしまっ） **て** 残念だ。
  * りんごを全部食べてしまっ **て** うろたえている。




Yes, your use of ～た + こと construction is correct. You can express the
sentiment about an event that happened in the **past** at the moment of
feeling.

  * 家に帰れ **た［こと／の］** ‌がうれしい。  
*Equivalent of "happy that --" is typically expressed with potential form, especially for the action of yourself.
  * 電車を逃【の】がし **た［こと／の］** ‌が残念だ。
  * りんごを全部食べてしまっ **たこと** にうろたえている。

However, the sentiment toward **what has (just) happened** is simply described
with the successive function of te-form.

  * 家に帰れ **て** うれしい。
  * 電車を逃がし（てしまっ） **て** 残念だ。
  * りんごを全部食べてしまっ **て** うろたえている。

