How do you say "schadenfreude" in Spanish?

Question

I felt a certain "schadenfreude" at the bankers' misfortune.

Answer 1

That's a German word. I don't know if it has an equivalent in either English or Spanish. It means something like: mischieveous pleasure or guilty joy.

In English, one would likely say: "I couldn't help but gloat (a little) at the bankers' misfortune. But maybe there's a better way to express it in English...I'm not sure.

I'm not sure how that would best be expressed in Spanish.

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You do realize you're referring to the misfortune of several bankers, right?

banker's misfortune = the misfortune of one banker

bankers' misfortune = the misfortune of more than one banker

Yes I was thinking back to the crash when the bankers were begging for cash. I knew schadenfreude had a German origin, but I wondered if there was a Spanish equivalent because it's such a great word. Thank you for your prompt and very knowledgable answer. - SlinkyFinky, Feb 18, 2011

In English we use the German so I guess that that is the word in English. I like shartenfreude, in which the misfortune suffered is quite specific. - afowen, Feb 18, 2011

Thanks. Did you mean schardenfreude or schartenfreude? I'll look it up just in case it wsn't a typo. - SlinkyFinky, Feb 18, 2011

Shartenfreude. It's when you laugh at someone who has just sharted... :oD - afowen, Feb 18, 2011

I did once submit schartenfreude to Rogers Profanisaurus but think that my above spelling leaves it more obvious. - afowen, Feb 18, 2011

Answer 2

This is obviously German. Anyway here is what I found out. It is gloating, or being maliciously happy about the misfortune of others, or looking scornfully with smug satisfaction. To gloat = regodearse, and the sustantivo (and the answer to your question) is regodeo.

Thanks for the question, but please stick to English and Spanish the next time.

¡Chau!

Thank you - mucho gracias! I'll explore and have fun with your translation. - SlinkyFinky, Feb 18, 2011

It is English, like zeitgeist, just as croissant and pizza are English. - afowen, Feb 18, 2011

Thanks I wondered about that. - SlinkyFinky, Feb 18, 2011

Answer 3

Out of curiosity I googled regodearse and this is what came up....

Ay que scary! I recommend circus mirrors for this one.... - cristalino, Feb 18, 2011

Answer 4

Doesn't appear to be touched on, but in response to Deanski (and in accord with Afowen):

Thanks for the question, but please stick to English and Spanish the next time.

Any reputable English dictionary will contain the word "schadenfreude" - in fact, one source has its first known English use at 1895...it is a compound word from the German: Schaden damage + Freude joy - as it has been expounded in earlier replies....

Answer 5

According to Wikipedia:

Schadenfreude (IPA ??a?d?n?f????d? (?·i)) es una palabra del alemán que designa el sentimiento de alegría creado por el sufrimiento o la infelicidad del otro. El término se usa también como expresión culta en otros idiomas, como el inglés y el español. El término en español se traduce como regodearse, definido por la RAE como Complacerse maliciosamente con un percance, apuro, etc., que le ocurre a otra persona.1