unfortunately in Arabic: لسوء الحظ (lisūʾi al-ḥaẓẓi)

How to use it

This is a common expression used to introduce a piece of bad news or an unfortunate event. It literally translates to 'for the badness of luck'. It's a very useful phrase for expressing disappointment.

Example sentences

لِسُوءِ الْحَظِّ، لَمْ نَجِدْ تَذَاكِرَ.

lisūʾi al-ḥaẓẓi, lam najidi tadhākira.

Unfortunately, we didn't find tickets.
لِسُوءِ الْحَظِّ، غَابَ الطَّبِيبُ عَنِ الْمَوْعِدِ.

lisūʾi al-ḥaẓẓi, ghāba aṭ-ṭabību ʿani al-mawʿidi.

Unfortunately, the doctor missed the appointment.
لِسُوءِ الْحَظِّ، بَدَأَ الْمَطَرُ غَزِيرًا.

lisūʾi al-ḥaẓẓi, badaʾa al-maṭaru ghazīran.

Unfortunately, the rain started heavily.

Examples from real texts

Sentences taken from published bilingual texts (subtitles, documents). They show the word in context and are not reviewed one by one.

Unfortunately, no.

كلا بكل أسف.

Unfortunately none.

للأسف لا، لم أحضر أي مؤتمر للأصوات العالمية.

Unfortunately, it is not.

ولكن من المؤسف أن هذا غير صحيح.

It is unfortunately true.

للأسف ذلك صحيح.

Unfortunately, that is no surprise.

والمؤسف في الأمر أن هذا ليس بالأمر المستغرب.

Unfortunately, the opposite is true.

من المؤسف أن العكس هو الصحيح.

Unfortunately, Beijing has other ideas.

ولكن مما يدعو للأسف أن الصين تحمل أفكاراً أخرى بشأن هونج كونج.

Unfortunately, that is highly unlikely.

ولكن مما يدعو للأسف أن حدوث أمر كهذا ليس من المرجح.

Unfortunately, the facts say otherwise.

ولكن من المؤسف أن الحقائق تنبئنا بعكس ذلك.

And this was, unfortunately, successful.

مما كان، للأسف، ناجحاً.

Unfortunately, the pact failed miserably.

ولكن من المؤسف أن فشل ذلك الميثاق كان ذريعا.

Unfortunately, every approach has shortcomings.

مما يدعو للأسف أن لكل من هذين التوجهين نقائص وعيوب.

Questions and answers

Is there a shorter way to say 'unfortunately'?

Yes, you can often use 'lil-asaf' (للأسف), which is more common in spoken Arabic and means 'regrettably' or 'sadly'.

When should I use 'lisūʾi al-ḥaẓẓi'?

Use it when you want to emphasize that something happened due to bad luck or misfortune, especially when it's something you regret.

Related words and expressions

unfortunately not للأسف لا