accidental
“accidental” means “accidental” in Spanish (happening by chance or without being planned).
accidental
Also: unintentional, incidental
📝 In Action
Fue un encuentro accidental en la calle.
A2It was an accidental meeting in the street.
La policía dice que el incendio fue accidental.
B1The police say the fire was accidental.
Esos detalles son accidentales y no afectan el plan final.
B2Those details are incidental and do not affect the final plan.
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: accidental
Question 1 of 3
Which of these phrases correctly describes an accidental meeting?
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👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'accidentalis', which comes from 'accidere', meaning 'to happen' or 'to fall upon'.
First recorded: 15th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'accidental' change if I'm talking about a woman or a feminine object?
No. Adjectives in Spanish that end in '-al' are the same for both masculine and feminine words. For example: 'el error accidental' and 'la mancha accidental'.
Is 'accidental' a 'false friend' (looks like English but means something else)?
No! It is a true cognate. It looks like the English word 'accidental' and means exactly the same thing.
When should I use 'accidental' vs 'por accidente'?
Use 'accidental' when you want to describe a noun (e.g., 'a chance meeting'). Use 'por accidente' when you want to describe how an action happened (e.g., 'I found it by accident').