Inklingo

How to Say "miserable" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “miserable” is “infeliz” — use this word when someone is deeply unhappy or sorrowful, often due to a specific negative event..

infeliz🔊A2

Use this word when someone is deeply unhappy or sorrowful, often due to a specific negative event.

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triste🔊A2

Choose this word to describe a situation, outcome, or story that is sad or causes sadness, rather than a person's internal state.

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miserable🔊A2

Use this word to describe someone who is extremely unhappy, distressed, or wretched, often feeling down and dejected.

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desgraciados🔊B1

Employ this term to describe people who are living in unfortunate, poor, or unhappy conditions, often due to external circumstances.

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patéticoB1

Use this word to describe something or someone as pathetic, meaning a very poor effort, quality, or a pitiable or ridiculous situation.

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perra🔊B2

This is a highly informal and vulgar term used to intensify negative adjectives, meaning 'terrible' or 'awful'.

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English → Spanish

infeliz

een-feh-LEEZ/infeˈliθ/

adjectiveA2
Use this word when someone is deeply unhappy or sorrowful, often due to a specific negative event.
A small child sitting alone, looking sad and holding a single wilted flower.

Examples

Después de perder su trabajo, se sintió muy infeliz durante meses.

After losing his job, he felt very unhappy for months.

Ella era una niña infeliz, siempre sola en el recreo.

She was an unhappy child, always alone during recess.

Adjective Agreement (Gender)

Since 'infeliz' ends in 'z', it is the same for both masculine and feminine people and things (e.g., 'el hombre infeliz' and 'la mujer infeliz').

Adjective Agreement (Plural)

To make it plural, you change the 'z' to 'c' and add 'es': 'infeliz' becomes 'infelices' (e.g., 'las personas infelices').

triste

/TREES-teh//ˈtɾiste/

adjectiveA2
Choose this word to describe a situation, outcome, or story that is sad or causes sadness, rather than a person's internal state.
A simple, gloomy landscape illustration showing heavy gray clouds covering the sky and soft rain falling onto a dark green field.

Examples

Es una historia muy triste.

It's a very sad story.

No me gustan los días tristes y grises.

I don't like sad, gray days.

Fue un triste final para un gran equipo.

It was a sad ending for a great team.

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'.

miserable

mee-seh-RAH-bleh/mi.seˈɾa.βle/

adjectiveA2
Use this word to describe someone who is extremely unhappy, distressed, or wretched, often feeling down and dejected.
A tiny, dejected bear cub sitting alone under a small rain cloud, weeping visibly.

Examples

Estaba tan miserable después de que su perro se fue.

She was so miserable after her dog left.

No te sientas miserable por un pequeño error.

Don't feel miserable about a small mistake.

Gender Consistency

Since 'miserable' ends in '-e', it doesn't change based on whether the person is masculine or feminine (e.g., 'el hombre miserable' and 'la mujer miserable').

Confusing with 'poor'

Mistake: “Using 'pobre' when you mean emotionally wretched.”

Correction: 'Pobre' usually means lacking money. If you mean 'unhappy,' use 'miserable' or 'infeliz'.

desgraciados

/dess-gra-syah-dohss//desɣɾaˈsjaðos/

adjectiveB1
Employ this term to describe people who are living in unfortunate, poor, or unhappy conditions, often due to external circumstances.
A person standing in the rain with a broken umbrella, looking unlucky.

Examples

Los pobres desgraciados perdieron su casa en la tormenta.

The poor unfortunate souls lost their house in the storm.

Son unos hombres desgraciados que no tienen dónde vivir.

They are unlucky men who have nowhere to live.

Adjectives as Nouns

In Spanish, you can turn this describing word into a name for a group of people just by adding 'the' (los) or 'some' (unos) in front.

patético

adjectiveB1informal
Use this word to describe something or someone as pathetic, meaning a very poor effort, quality, or a pitiable or ridiculous situation.

Examples

Su excusa para llegar tarde fue completamente patética.

His excuse for being late was completely pathetic (ridiculous).

perra

/PEH-rrah//'pera/

adjectiveB2very informal
This is a highly informal and vulgar term used to intensify negative adjectives, meaning 'terrible' or 'awful'.
A solitary person standing outside under a heavy, dark gray rainstorm, looking very distressed because they have no umbrella.

Examples

Tuve una jaqueca perra todo el día de ayer.

I had a terrible migraine all day yesterday.

¡Qué vida más perra! Nada me sale bien.

What a miserable life! Nothing is going right for me.

Adjective Agreement

When used this way, 'perra' is an adjective and must match the gender of the thing it describes. For a feminine noun use 'perra' (una noche perra), and for a masculine noun use 'perro' (un día perro).

Confusing 'triste' with personal unhappiness

Learners often use 'triste' for personal feelings of unhappiness. Remember that 'triste' primarily describes situations or external events as sad, while 'infeliz' or 'miserable' are better for describing a person's internal state of deep unhappiness.

Related Translations

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