trágico
/ˈtɾaxiko/
The Spanish word for "tragic" is trágico.
The term trágico is an adjective used to describe something that causes great sadness.
Meaning: causing great sadness (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, changing from trágico to trágica for feminine nouns. The adjective changes to trágicos to agree with masculine plural nouns. The adjective changes to trágicas to agree with feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtɾaxiko/
Did you know?
- The root of trágico comes from the Ancient Greek word for 'goat song' because actors in early Greek tragedies wore goat skins or danced in the shape of goats.
- In Spanish, the word tragedia is frequently used in daily conversation to describe minor inconveniences, such as spilling a drink or losing a pen, as a form of hyperbole.
- The accent mark on the 'á' in trágico is mandatory because the word is an 'esdrújula', meaning the stress falls on the third-to-last syllable.
Examples in context
- Fue un accidente trágico.It was a tragic accident.This sentence shows how to describe a tragic accident using trágico.Tatoeba #11935809 by Eremon, translation #3826970 by CK
- El trágico error afectó a muchas personas.The tragic mistake affected many people.This sentence illustrates the use of trágico when discussing a mistake.Tatoeba #10061155 by jxff, translation #682217 by Source_VOA
- La masacre de Halabja fue un acontecimiento muy trágico.The Halabja massacre was a very tragic event.This sentence demonstrates how to describe a tragic event with trágico.Tatoeba #10295500 by Seael, translation #10295489 by Sarchia
- La noticia que recibimos hoy es trágicaThe news we received today is tragic
- ¡Qué tragedia que se haya incendiado su casa!What a tragedy that their house caught fire!
- La noticia del accidente aéreo fue trágica para todos los familiares.The news of the plane crash was tragic for all the relatives.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing a news report about a natural disaster.
- JavierEs un destino trágico para tanta gente.It is a tragic fate for so many people.
- SofíaSí, me siento muy triste por ellos.Yes, I feel very sad for them.
- JavierNo puedo dejar de pensar en la noticia.I cannot stop thinking about the news.
- SofíaEs comprensible, es algo muy difícil de procesar.It is understandable, it is something very difficult to process.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tragic” translations and entries trágico, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries trágico, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
