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How to Say "hapless" in Spanish

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desafortunado

/de-sah-for-too-NAH-doh//desafortuˈnaðo/

adjectiveB1general
Use 'desafortunado' to describe someone who is consistently unlucky or experiencing a series of unfortunate events.
A person holding a broken umbrella in the rain while a small dark cloud hovers only over them.

Examples

Él es un hombre desafortunado en el juego, pero afortunado en el amor.

He is an unlucky man in gambling, but lucky in love.

Fue un encuentro desafortunado que cambió sus planes.

It was an unfortunate encounter that changed her plans.

Matching the word

This word changes its ending to match the person or thing you are describing. Use 'desafortunado' for masculine nouns and 'desafortunada' for feminine nouns.

The 'Un-' Trap

Mistake: “unfortunado”

Correction: desafortunado

desgraciado

dess-grah-SYAH-doh/des.ɣɾaˈsja.ðo/

adjectiveB1general
Use 'desgraciado' to emphasize a more profound or pitiable state of misfortune, often implying a very bad situation.
A solitary, simple cartoon character stands under a small, dark rain cloud that is raining only on them, illustrating bad luck. The surrounding area is bright and sunny.

Examples

El pobre hombre desgraciado perdió su trabajo y su coche en la misma semana.

The poor, unfortunate man lost his job and his car in the same week.

Se siente desgraciado después de la ruptura, pero se recuperará.

He feels wretched (miserable) after the breakup, but he will recover.

Changing Gender

Like many Spanish adjectives ending in -o, you must change the ending to match the person you are describing: use 'desgraciada' for a woman, and 'desgraciados/as' for plurals.

Desafortunado vs. Desgraciado

Learners often confuse 'desafortunado' and 'desgraciado'. While both mean 'unlucky', 'desafortunado' is more about general bad luck, whereas 'desgraciado' can carry a stronger sense of pity or a more severe level of misfortune.

Related Translations

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