Inklingo

How to Say "unsuccessful" in Spanish

English → Spanish

fracasado

/fra-ca-sá-do//fɾakaˈsaðo/

adjectiveB1general
Use 'fracasado' when referring to a general outcome or result that failed, especially in business or projects.
A brightly colored wooden bridge over a small stream that has broken and collapsed in the center, illustrating a failed project.

Examples

El lanzamiento del producto fue fracasado, perdimos mucho dinero.

The product launch was unsuccessful (failed); we lost a lot of money.

Su intento de convencer al jefe resultó fracasado.

His attempt to convince the boss turned out to be a failure.

La misión se consideró fracasada antes de que terminara.

The mission was considered failed before it even finished.

Agreement is Key

Like many Spanish adjectives, 'fracasado' must match the gender and number of the thing it describes. Use 'fracasada' for feminine things (like 'la misión') or 'fracasados' for plural masculine things.

fallado

fah-YAH-doh/faˈʎaðo/

adjectiveB1general
Choose 'fallado' when an item or product is faulty, defective, or has simply not worked as intended.
A broken wooden toy wagon with one wheel completely detached and lying on the ground next to it.

Examples

Devolvimos el producto fallado a la tienda.

We returned the faulty product to the store.

Fue un intento fallado de reconciliación.

It was a failed attempt at reconciliation.

Ella no quiere usar la impresora fallada.

She doesn't want to use the defective printer.

Agreement is Key

When 'fallado' is used as an adjective (describing a noun), it must change its ending to match the noun it describes: 'fallado' (masc. sing.), 'fallada' (fem. sing.), 'fallados' (masc. plural), 'falladas' (fem. plural).

perdedor

pehr-deh-DOR/peɾðeˈðoɾ/

adjectiveB1general
Use 'perdedor' to describe a person, team, or entity that is generally unsuccessful or consistently loses.
Two teams of cartoon animals playing tug-of-war. One team is clearly being pulled across the center line and looks exhausted, indicating they are the losing team.

Examples

El equipo tuvo una racha perdedora de cinco partidos.

The team had a losing streak of five games.

No puedes tener esa actitud perdedora si quieres triunfar.

You can't have that defeatist attitude if you want to succeed.

Adjective Agreement

As an adjective, 'perdedor' must match the noun it describes. For example, 'actitud' (attitude) is feminine, so you must use 'actitud perdedora'.

perdedores

pehr-deh-DOH-rehs/peɾðeˈðoɾes/

adjectiveB1general
Use the plural 'perdedores' to describe multiple people, efforts, or strategies that have an unsuccessful or losing quality.
A high quality simple colorful storybook illustration showing one sports team looking sad and sitting down on a field, while the opposing team celebrates a victory in the background.

Examples

Mostraron unos rostros perdedores después de la votación.

They showed losing faces after the vote.

Esos planes perdedores nos costaron mucho tiempo y dinero.

Those losing/unsuccessful plans cost us a lot of time and money.

Adjective Agreement

Remember that 'perdedores' must agree with the noun it modifies. Since it is masculine plural, it describes masculine plural nouns (e.g., 'equipos perdedores', not 'estrategias perdedores').

Mixing up gender

Mistake: “Las estrategias perdedores.”

Correction: Las estrategias perdedoras. (Strategy is feminine, so the adjective must also be feminine.)

Fracasado vs. Fallado

Learners often confuse 'fracasado' and 'fallado'. Remember that 'fracasado' applies to general failures (like a project or launch), while 'fallado' specifically means something is defective or not working correctly, like a faulty product.

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