Afortunado

Afortunado is a Spanish adjective and, less commonly, a noun. As an adjective, it describes someone or something that has good luck or fortune, or who is favored by fortune. It can refer to events, situations, or people deemed fortunate, and it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies (afortunado, afortunada; afortunados, afortunadas).

Etymology and construction: afortunado comes from the verb afortunar or from the formation pattern of -ado indicating a state or quality, derived from the Latin root fortuna, meaning fortune. The prefix a- in this sense is used to form adjectives that express possession of a quality.

As a noun, afortunado can refer to a person who is fortunate, similar to “lucky person” or “fortunate one.” It is common in everyday speech to call someone “un afortunado” when noting their favorable circumstances.

Usage notes: The adverbial form afortunadamente means “fortunately,” used to indicate that something happened by luck or favorable circumstances. In many contexts, afortunado conveys a subjective assessment of luck rather than an objective measure of chance.

Cognates and related terms: In other Romance languages, similar words exist (for example, Portuguese afortunado). Related adjectives include dichoso and venturo, which carry close but distinct nuances of good fortune.

See also: fortuna, afortunadamente, dicho/a, venturo/a.