Desafortunadamente vs. Por desgracia

Question

I was curious about how one would say unfortunately in Spanish since I needed to formulate a sentence with that word, and since I didn't know it, I looked it up. Come to find out, there are about 5 different ways to say unfortunately in Spanish.

• Desafortunadamente
• Desgraciadamente
• Desgracia
• Por desgracia
• Lamentablemente

So if I wanted to say, "Unfortunately, I have no money."

Would somebody typically say "Desafortunadamente, no tengo dinero"?

Or would somebody say "Por desgracia, no tengo dinero"?

Which usage of the word unfortunately is most common with Spanish speakers or does it really matter? Is any of these acceptable? Or are there certain grammatical rules in which somebody would only use some of these words under certain circumstances? I also know certain words are used depending on which Spanish speaking country one is in.

Answer 1

Desafortunadamente and lamentablemente sound more common. Por desgracia and desgraciadamente, although correct, sound way too dramatic. I hope this helps. Desgracia alone makes no sense.

It's a pity can be translated as Es una pena que no tenga dinero. or you can say Que pena que no tenga dinero. The subjunctive sounds logical after these two expression rather than the indicative.

Answer 2

Appreciate the feedback!