salado
/saˈlado/
The English word "jinxed" can be translated into Spanish as salado.
The term is used to describe a person who suffers from persistent bad luck. When describing a person who is currently experiencing a streak of bad luck, you should use the verb estar (estar salado) rather than ser.
What does it mean word for word?
When used as an adjective, salado literally means "salty".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person or people being described. Use salada for a woman, and salados for a group of people that includes at least one male.
How do you pronounce it?
/saˈlado/
Did you know?
- While salado means 'jinxed' in many contexts, in some regions of Spain and Latin America it can also describe a person who is witty, funny or charming.
- The word 'salado' shares the same root as the English word 'salary', because ancient Roman soldiers were often paid in salt or used it as a form of currency.
- Spanish has a nuanced distinction where estar salado describes a streak of bad luck, while ser salado suggests a person is naturally prone to it.
Examples in context
- Todo lo que toco se echa a perder, ¿será que soy malhadado/a?Everything I touch goes wrong, maybe I'm jinxed?
- Cada vez que voy al casino, pierdo todo mi dinero. ¡Estoy completamente gafado/a!Every time I go to the casino, I lose all my money. I'm completely jinxed!
- No quiero ir, estoy muy salado hoy.I don't want to go, I am very jinxed today.
- No quiero invitarlo porque está salado.I don't want to invite him because he is jinxed.
- Desde que nació, este niño está salado.Since he was born, this boy has been jinxed.
- Me siento salado hoy, todo me sale mal.I feel jinxed today, everything is going wrong for me.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking about a friend's bad luck at a cafe.
- María¿Por qué no llamaste a Luis?Why didn't you call Luis?
- MateoEs que él está muy salado últimamente.It's just that he is very jinxed lately.
- MaríaEs verdad, siempre tiene mala suerte.It's true, he always has bad luck.
- MateoSí, mejor no le contemos nuestros planes.Yes, better not tell him our plans.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry salado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries salado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
