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triste

/TREES-teh/

sad

A small, cartoonish bear sitting alone with a downturned mouth and a single tear drop falling from its eye, illustrating the emotion of sadness.

When describing how someone feels, triste means sad or unhappy.

triste(Adjective)

A1

sad

?

describing a person's emotion

Also:

unhappy

?

feeling down

,

blue

?

feeling melancholy

📝 In Action

Hoy me siento un poco triste.

A1

I feel a little sad today.

¿Por qué estás triste?

A1

Why are you sad?

Ella se puso triste cuando se fue su amigo.

A2

She got sad when her friend left.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • apenado (saddened)
  • melancólico (melancholic)

Antonyms

  • alegre (happy/cheerful)
  • contento (happy/content)
  • feliz (happy)

Common Collocations

  • estar triste – to be sad (feeling)
  • ponerse triste – to get sad
  • sentirse triste – to feel sad

💡 Grammar Points

Using 'Estar' for Feelings

To talk about how someone feels right now, you'll almost always use the verb 'estar' with 'triste'. For example, 'Él está triste' means 'He is sad (at this moment)'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Describing a Feeling vs. a Personality

Mistake: "Using 'ser' for a temporary feeling, like saying 'Soy triste hoy'."

Correction: Always use 'estar' for temporary feelings: 'Estoy triste hoy'. Using 'ser' ('soy triste') means you are a sad person in general, which is a much stronger statement about your personality.

⭐ Usage Tips

How to Say 'Get Sad'

To say someone 'gets sad' or 'becomes sad', use the phrase 'ponerse triste'. For example, 'Me pongo triste con las películas de amor' (I get sad with love movies).

A simple, gloomy landscape illustration showing heavy gray clouds covering the sky and soft rain falling onto a dark green field.

Triste can also be used to describe things, like a sad song or a gloomy, gray day.

triste(Adjective)

A2

sad

?

describing a thing or event, e.g., a sad song

Also:

gloomy

?

e.g., a gloomy day

,

dismal

?

e.g., a dismal outlook

,

miserable

?

e.g., a miserable result

📝 In Action

Es una historia muy triste.

A2

It's a very sad story.

No me gustan los días tristes y grises.

B1

I don't like sad, gray days.

Fue un triste final para un gran equipo.

B1

It was a sad ending for a great team.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • lamentable (lamentable/regrettable)
  • sombrío (somber/gloomy)

Antonyms

  • alegre (cheerful)
  • feliz (happy)

Common Collocations

  • una canción triste – a sad song
  • una noticia triste – sad news
  • un día triste – a sad/gloomy day

💡 Grammar Points

Using 'Ser' for Characteristics

To describe the basic quality of a thing or situation, use the verb 'ser'. For example, 'La película es triste' means the movie is inherently a sad one.

Same Form for Masculine and Feminine

'Triste' doesn't change for masculine or feminine things. You say 'un libro triste' (a sad book) and 'una película triste' (a sad movie). It always ends in '-e'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Before or After?

Usually, 'triste' comes after the thing it describes ('una historia triste'). Putting it before ('una triste historia') can sound more poetic or emphasize how unfortunate the situation is.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: triste

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence means 'He is a sad person in general' (it's part of his personality)?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

tristeza(sadness) - noun
tristemente(sadly) - adverb
entristecer(to sadden) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it 'el hombre triste' and 'la mujer triste'? Shouldn't it change to 'trista' for a woman?

Great question! Adjectives that end in '-e' like 'triste' are special. They don't change for masculine or feminine. The same word works for both! Other common examples are 'inteligente' (intelligent) and 'grande' (big).