por accidente
/poɾ aɡθidente/from spelling rules
In Spanish, accidentally is translated as por accidente.
The phrase por accidente is used to describe something happening by chance, not necessarily a lucky one.
Meaning: happening by chance, not necessarily a lucky one (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition por (by/through) and the noun accidente (accident).
Which one should you use?
While por accidente focuses on the event being a chance occurrence, sin querer is often used to emphasize the lack of intent behind an action, meaning 'unintentionally' or 'without wanting to'. Additionally, the adverb accidentalmente is a direct one-word equivalent to the English 'accidentally', though por accidente is more common in many contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
/poɾ aɡθidente/
Did you know?
- The word accidente is also used in geography to describe 'accidentes geográficos', referring to natural landforms like mountains or rivers.
- The noun accidente in Spanish is a cognate of the English 'accident', but in many Spanish-speaking contexts, it can sound more dramatic, often implying a vehicular crash rather than a simple mistake.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying sin querer is a common social 'shield' used to soften the blow of a clumsy mistake and signal a lack of malice.
Examples in context
- Quedé embarazada por accidente.I got pregnant accidentally.This sentence is useful for describing an accidental pregnancy using por accidente.Tatoeba #5157230 by don_ramon, translation #1855067 by Spamster
- Tom tomó raticida por accidente.Tom accidentally ate some rat poison.This sentence shows how por accidente describes an accidental ingestion.Tatoeba #1832059 by Shishir, translation #1830385 by CK
- Este descubrimiento se hizo por accidente.This discovery was made accidentally.This sentence shows how por accidente describes how a discovery was made.Tatoeba #8799987 by diegohn, translation #2854906 by AlanF_US
- Escribí su nombre por accidente y lo borré rápidamente.I accidentally wrote his/her name and quickly erased it.
- Dejé caer el plato por accidente mientras servía la comida.I accidentally dropped the plate while serving the food.
- Derramé el café sobre los documentos inadvertidamente.I accidentally spilled coffee on the documents.
- Hablé del incidente inadvertidamente durante la reunión.I accidentally mentioned the incident during the meeting.
- Tiré tu libro sin querer mientras ordenaba la mesa.I accidentally knocked over your book while tidying up the table.
- Apagué la computadora sin querer y perdí todo mi trabajo.I accidentally turned off the computer and lost all my work.
- Presioné el botón equivocado por error y cancelé la reserva.I accidentally pressed the wrong button and canceled the reservation.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are talking in the kitchen after a small mess.
- Sofía¿Qué pasó con el plato?What happened to the plate?
- AlejandroLo tiré por accidente, Sofía.I dropped it accidentally, Sofía.
- SofíaNo te preocupes, Alejandro.Don't worry, Alejandro.
- AlejandroLo siento mucho.I am very sorry.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
