Luck in Misfortune?

The German noun das Unglück is often translated as "misfortune" or "bad luck" in English:

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König Priamos erklärte, es würde Unglück bringen.

King Priam said it would bring bad luck.

Caption 51, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Das Trojanische Pferd

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But das Unglück can also be an accident or a disaster: 

 

Es war ein großes Unglück mit dem Vulkanausbruch in Island.

It has been a big disaster with the volcano erupting in Iceland.

Caption 3, Reisen - während des Vulkanausbruchs

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There is also an idiomatic usage of das Unglück: 

 

Wir haben Glück im Unglück,

We have luck in misfortune [idiom, a blessing in disguise]

dass wir jetzt ein paar Tage länger hier in Spanien sein dürfen.

that we may now spend a few more days in Spain.

Caption 24, Reisen - während des Vulkanausbruchs

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The rendering as "luck in misfortune" is literal, but the idiom is akin to the English "a blessing in disguise," when good things come out of seemingly bad occurrences.

 

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Further Learning
But let's not end this lesson on a sour note, instead let's give it das Happy End or das Happyend (a German pseudo-anglicism for a "happy ending"). The opposite of das Unglück is das Glück, which can be translated as "happiness," "good luck," or "good fortune," among other happier words. Do a search for the word Glück on Yabla German and see how the different contexts of its usage can help you understand it better in a real world context. 

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