no hay tanta suerte
/no ai tanta sweɾte/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "no such luck" is translated as no hay tanta suerte.
The expression is used to express disappointment when a desired outcome or a stroke of good fortune does not occur.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "there is not so much luck".
How do you pronounce it?
/no ai tanta sweɾte/
Did you know?
- Because suerte comes from a root meaning 'to bind', it shares a distant ancestral lineage with the English word 'series', both relating to things that follow a sequence or are joined together.
- If you are playing a game and want to say 'no such luck' because you lost a turn, you might say me tocó la mala instead of using the full phrase about luck.
- In Spanish, suerte can mean both 'luck' and 'lot'. This reflects the ancient practice of drawing lots to decide a person's fate.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are checking for concert tickets.
- AlejandroElena, ¿quedan entradas para el concierto?Elena, are there any tickets left for the concert?
- ElenaLo siento, Alejandro, no hay tanta suerte.I'm sorry, Alejandro, no such luck.
- AlejandroQué mal, realmente quería ir.That's too bad, I really wanted to go.
- ElenaPodemos intentar comprar boletos mañana.We can try to buy tickets tomorrow.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
