Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| afortunado | /afoɾtuˈnado/ |
| suertudo | /sweɾˈtudo/ |
| suertero | /sweɾteɾo/ (from spelling rules) |
These terms describe people who possess good fortune. You might use these to describe someone who is afortunado en el amor, desafortunado en el juego (lucky in love, unlucky in gambling).
What does it mean word for word?
The word afortunado is derived from the noun fortuna (fortune). The word suertudo is built from suerte (luck) and the suffix -udo, which denotes an abundance of a certain quality.
Which one should you use?
Afortunado is a more formal term that can refer to both having luck and being blessed or fortunate in life. In contrast, suertudo specifically refers to someone who has good luck and is more colloquial.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Afortunado is suitable for formal contexts, while suertudo is an informal way to call someone lucky and is often used among friends. You may also encounter suertero, which is another variation for a lucky person.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the person they describe. For example, afortunado becomes afortunada for a female and suertudo becomes suertudas when describing a group of females.
How do you pronounce it?
/afoɾtuˈnado/
When do people say it?
In Spanish-speaking cultures, the number 13 (trece) is often considered unlucky. To ward off bad luck, people may use the expression tocar madera (touch wood) or wear a protective amulet known as un ojo turco (a Turkish eye). Finding a four-leaf clover (trébol de cuatro hojas) is also associated with good luck. If you want to say someone is currently experiencing a temporary state of good luck, you can use the informal phrase estar de suerte.
Did you know?
- While suerte means 'luck' today, it originally comes from the Latin word for 'draw' or 'lottery'. This reflects an ancient view that luck was something physically drawn or assigned by fate.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the 'Turkish eye' or ojo turco is used to protect a suertudo person. It is believed that too much luck can attract the 'evil eye' from others.
- The suffix -udo in suertudo is used in other colorful adjectives like barbudo for 'bearded'. It implies an abundance or an excess of a trait, making suertudo sound more intense than afortunado.
Examples in context
- ¡Qué suertudo que es!What a lucky person he is!This sentence uses suertudo to express how lucky a person is.Tatoeba #4367471 by pchamorro, translation #291570 by CM
- Tom sí que es suertudo.Tom sure is lucky.This sentence uses suertudo to emphasize that Tom is lucky.Tatoeba #1307616 by marcelostockle, translation #1141158 by CK
- ¿Quién es el afortunado?Who's the lucky one?This sentence uses afortunado to ask who the lucky person is.Tatoeba #1208120 by cueyayotl, translation #1207343 by CM
- Ella es una mujer afortunadaShe is a lucky woman
- ¡Tienes mucha suerte!You are very lucky!
- Hoy estoy de suerteToday, I am lucky
- 52 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are talking at a coffee shop.
- AlejandroSoy un hombre muy afortunado.I am a very lucky man.
- Sofía¿Por qué lo dices, Alejandro?Why do you say that, Alejandro?
- AlejandroPorque encontré mi cartera perdida.Because I found my lost wallet.
- Sofía¡Qué afortunado eres!How lucky you are!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lucky” translations and entries afortunado, suertudo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
