fortunato
/for.tuˈna.to/
The Italian word for lucky is fortunato.
Fortunato is an adjective used to describe people who possess good fortune.
Meaning: of people, having good fortune (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is derived from fortuna, which means 'fortune' or 'luck'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the person being described, so use fortunata for a woman. The adjective takes the form fortunati when describing a group of men or a mixed-gender group. The adjective takes the form fortunate when describing a group consisting only of women.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /for.tuˈna.to/.
Did you know?
- The concept of being fortunato is often linked to the 'cornicello', a small red horn amulet worn in Italy to attract good luck and ward off the 'evil eye'.
- The concept of luck is often tied to the word fortuna, which in Roman mythology was not just a concept but a goddess, Fortuna, who could be unpredictable and fickle.
- The word fortuna also means 'wealth' or 'a fortune' in the sense of money, meaning a fortunato person could be either lucky or simply very rich.
Examples in context
- Chi è il fortunato?Who's the lucky one?This sentence is useful for asking who the lucky person is using fortunato.Tatoeba #1207344 by Guybrush88, translation #1207343 by CM
- È un uomo fortunato.You are a lucky man.This sentence is useful for stating that someone is a lucky man using fortunato.Tatoeba #6142836 by Guybrush88, translation #6140882 by carlosalberto
- Lei è così fortunato.You're so lucky.This sentence is useful for saying that someone is very lucky using fortunato.Tatoeba #5383219 by Guybrush88, translation #2218383 by CK
- Buona fortuna!Good luck!
- Che fortuna!What luck!
- Ho trovato un biglietto vincente! Che fortuna!I found a winning ticket! What luck!
- Sei fortunato/a!You are lucky!
- Hai ottenuto il lavoro che desideravi? Sei fortunato/a!Did you get the job you wanted? You are lucky!
- 349 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Matteo are talking about a lottery win.
- GiuliaHai vinto il premio! Sei molto fortunato.You won the prize! You are very lucky.
- MatteoSì, non ci posso credere ancora.Yes, I still can't believe it.
- GiuliaChe cosa farai con i soldi?What will you do with the money?
- MatteoForse farò un viaggio, sono fortunato!Maybe I'll take a trip, I'm lucky!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lucky” translations and entries fortunato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fortunato, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
