qué triste
/ke tɾiste/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "how sad" is translated as qué triste.
qué triste is an exclamation used to express sympathy or sorrow about a situation.
Which one should you use?
qué triste uses an adjective to describe a person or thing as being sad, whereas qué tristeza uses a noun to express the concept of sadness itself. Use qué tristeza to express the abstract feeling of sadness or the tragedy of a situation, rather than describing a specific person's temperament.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, ¡Vaya tristeza! means "What sadness!"
How does it change in a sentence?
The word qué in this context functions as an exclamatory intensifier meaning "how" or "what a", rather than a question word meaning "what". If you are describing multiple people or things as being sad, the adjective must agree in number: qué tristes.
How do you pronounce it?
/ke tɾiste/
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, triste is used to describe food that is bland or lacks flavor, rather than an emotion. Calling a dish triste means it is 'sad' because it lacks the vibrancy of spices and seasoning.
- While qué triste describes sorrow, Spanish speakers often use pena to express both 'sadness' and 'pity'. Depending on the country, saying you have pena can mean you are sad or that you are feeling incredibly shy.
- The Spanish word triste shares an ancient root with the English word 'tristful', a literary term used by poets like Keats to describe a melancholy state.
Examples in context
- ¡Dios mío, qué triste!My God, how sad!This sentence shows an exclamation using qué triste.Tatoeba #1274186 by hayastan, translation #1436339 by marcelostockle
- ¡Qué tristeza!How sad!This sentence shows an exclamation expressing the concept of sadness.Tatoeba #1305899 by alexmarcelo, translation #5228915 by jaxhere
- ¡Qué tristeza! Estoy muy apenado(a) por tiHow sad! I'm very sorry for you.
- ¡Qué triste es la noticia!How sad the news is!
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about a neighbor's lost pet.
- DanielEl perro de la vecina se perdió.The neighbor's dog got lost.
- Lucía¡Ay, qué triste!Oh, how sad!
- DanielEspero que aparezca pronto.I hope he shows up soon.
- LucíaOjalá, Daniel.I hope so, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qué, triste, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
