How to Say "unfortunate" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “unfortunate” is “desafortunado” — use this for a situation or event that is unlucky or sad, or for words that are poorly chosen and inappropriate in context..
desafortunado
/de-sah-for-too-NAH-doh//desafortuˈnaðo/
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.
El político hizo un comentario desafortunado sobre la economía.
The politician made an inappropriate comment about the economy.
Fue una decisión desafortunada que le costó el trabajo.
It was an ill-advised decision that cost him his job.
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.
Abstract Nouns
When describing abstract ideas like a 'choice' (elección) or 'comment' (comentario), this word acts as a polite way to say someone made a mistake.
The 'Un-' Trap
Mistake: “unfortunado”
Correction: desafortunado
desgraciado
dess-grah-SYAH-doh/des.ɣɾaˈsja.ðo/
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.
infeliz
een-feh-LEEZ/infeˈliθ/
Examples
El infeliz incidente resultó en la pérdida de todas sus posesiones.
The unfortunate incident resulted in the loss of all their possessions.
Tuvieron un infeliz final, separándose después de un año.
They had an ill-fated ending, separating after one year.
lamentable
/lah-men-TAH-bleh//lamenˈtaβle/
Examples
Es lamentable que hayamos perdido el partido.
It is regrettable that we lost the game.
Fue un error lamentable.
It was an unfortunate mistake.
One Form for All
This word stays the same whether you are describing a masculine or feminine thing. For example, 'un error lamentable' and 'una noticia lamentable'.
Expressing Feelings
When you start a sentence with 'Es lamentable que...', the action that follows needs a special verb form (the subjunctive) because you are sharing an emotion about it.
Gender Trap
Mistake: “una situación lamentabla”
Correction: una situación lamentable. Even though 'situación' is feminine, words ending in -e usually don't change to -a.
negra
NEH-grah/ˈneɡra/
Examples
Tuvo una suerte negra en los negocios.
She had terrible/unfortunate luck in business.
Esa fue una época negra para la familia, llena de problemas.
That was a dark era for the family, full of problems.
Figurative Meaning
When used figuratively, 'negra' extends the idea of 'black' (absence of light) to mean 'absence of hope' or 'difficulty' in phrases like 'mala suerte' (bad luck).
pobres
/POH-brehs//ˈpoβɾes/
Examples
Las casas pobres de ese barrio fueron demolidas.
The poor houses in that neighborhood were demolished.
¡Pobres niños! Perdieron su juguete favorito.
Poor kids! They lost their favorite toy.
Mis resultados académicos fueron muy pobres este semestre.
My academic results were very poor this semester.
Adjective Agreement (Plural)
Since 'pobres' is the plural form of 'pobre', it is used to describe more than one person or thing. It works for both masculine and feminine things (e.g., 'chicos pobres' and 'chicas pobres').
Confusing Adjective and Adverb
Mistake: “Hablamos pobremente.”
Correction: Hablamos mal. ('pobre' is an adjective, 'pobremente' exists but 'mal' is usually better for 'badly'.)
Distinguishing 'Desafortunado' and 'Desgraciado'
Related Translations
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