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How to Say "unhappy" in Spanish

English → Spanish

triste

TREES-tehˈtɾiste

AdjectiveA1general
Use 'triste' when you want to express a general feeling of sadness or being down, often for a temporary reason.
A small, cartoonish bear sitting alone with a downturned mouth and a single tear drop falling from its eye, illustrating the emotion of sadness.

Examples

Hoy me siento un poco triste.

I feel a little sad today.

¿Por qué estás triste?

Why are you sad?

Ella se puso triste cuando se fue su amigo.

She got sad when her friend left.

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)'.

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.

infeliz

een-feh-LEEZinfeˈliθ

AdjectiveA2general
Choose 'infeliz' to describe a deeper, more prolonged state of unhappiness or misery, often linked to significant life events.
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').

descontento

des-kon-TEN-tohdeskonˈtento

AdjectiveB1general
Use 'descontento' when the unhappiness stems specifically from dissatisfaction with a situation, service, or outcome.
A person looking at a plate of burnt toast with a frown on their face.

Examples

El cliente está muy descontento con el servicio.

The customer is very dissatisfied with the service.

Estamos descontentos con los resultados del examen.

We are unhappy with the exam results.

Muchos ciudadanos se sienten descontentos tras la nueva ley.

Many citizens feel dissatisfied after the new law.

Using the right 'To Be'

Use 'estar' with this word when you want to say how someone feels right now. Using 'ser' would mean that the person is naturally hard to please as a personality trait.

Matching the Gender

Since this is an adjective, you must change the 'o' to 'a' if you are talking about a woman. For example: 'Ella está descontenta'.

Sad vs. Dissatisfied

Mistake: “Using 'descontento' when you just mean you are sad.”

Correction: Use 'triste' for sadness. Use 'descontento' specifically when you aren't happy with how something turned out or a service you received.

Sadness vs. Dissatisfaction

Learners often confuse 'triste' and 'descontento'. Remember that 'triste' is about general sadness, while 'descontento' specifically means being displeased or unsatisfied with something concrete.

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