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miserable and Spanish miserable
In English
miserable
deeply unhappy
In Spanish
miserable
tacaño
Spanish "miserable" means: stingy
Why they get mixed up Spanish "miserable" can refer to someone wicked or despicable, in addition to unhappy. English "miserable" almost exclusively means someone suffering or deeply unhappy. The moral sense of wickedness doesn't exist in English.
If you want to say...
- miserablemuy infeliz
- stingymiserable (tacaño)
- wretcheddesdichado
Examples
I feel miserable today.
Me siento fatal hoy.
The rain made us miserable.
La lluvia nos puso de mal humor.
He had a miserable childhood.
Tuvo una infancia miserable.
The weather was miserable all week.
El clima fue horrible toda la semana.
Common mistakes in Spanish
Incorrect: Me sentí miserable en la fiesta porque no conocía a nadie.
Correct: Me sentí fatal en la fiesta porque no conocía a nadie.
Miserable often means stingy or wretched. For very unhappy, use fatal or desdichado.
Incorrect: El clima estuvo miserable toda la semana.
Correct: El clima estuvo horrible toda la semana.
Use horrible or pésimo for unpleasant weather.
Phrases you will hear
- feel miserablesentirse fatal
- a miserable childhooduna infancia miserable
- miserable weatherun clima horrible
- a miserable salaryun sueldo miserable
- stingytacaño
- cheaptacaño
In a conversation
- A:
I feel miserable today.
Me siento fatal hoy.
- B:
What's wrong?
¿Qué pasa?
- A:
The weather is miserable.
El clima está horrible.
- B:
At least you're not stingy like my boss.
Al menos no eres tacaño como mi jefe.
Test yourself
"I feel miserable" means...
To remember it
Miserable (English) = deeply unhappy. Stingy (Spanish "miserable") = stingy.
Frequently asked questions
What does Spanish "miserable" mean?
Spanish "miserable" means "stingy". It looks like the English "miserable", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "miserable" means "deeply unhappy".
Does English "miserable" mean the same as Spanish "miserable"?
Spanish "miserable" can refer to someone wicked or despicable, in addition to unhappy. English "miserable" almost exclusively means someone suffering or deeply unhappy. The moral sense of wickedness doesn't exist in English.