Sí, muy mal.
Yes, very bad.
A short answer that says everything, and after it you'd better not ask more. Muy mal works on its own as a full reply.
From La chica de rosa · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "bad" in Spanish
mal
adverb: badlyadjective: malo, malaopposite: bien
"Bad" in Spanish is mal or malo. Use mal after a verb, where English says badly: Duermo mal. To describe a noun, use malo or mala, which shortens to mal before a masculine noun: un mal día.
Hear "mal" in real movie scenes
A short answer and a sharp remark in a fight. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Estás muy mal.
You're in a bad way.
In the middle of an argument, one of them says something is seriously wrong with the other. With estar, mal describes a state and keeps the same form for everyone.
From Amigos con derechos · Spanish audio
Mal or malo?
One word for how you do something, one for what something is like.
| Form | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mal | After a verb, meaning badly | Canto mal. I sing badly. |
| mal | Right before a masculine singular noun | un mal momento (a bad moment) |
| malo | After a masculine noun, or after ser | un libro malo, El vino es malo. |
| mala, malos, malas | With feminine or plural nouns | una mala noticia (bad news) |
| estar mal | Feeling unwell, or being wrong | Estoy mal. I don't feel well. Está mal. That's wrong. |
| ¡Qué mal! | Reacting to bad news | That's awful! |
Tip: A quick test: if English would say badly, use mal. If the word describes a thing or a person, use malo or mala.
Grammar: mal, malo, mala
Four rules that sort out the two words.
Mal never changes
As an adverb, mal keeps one form: Duermo mal, Dormimos mal. Its opposite is bien.Malo has four forms
malo, mala, malos, malas. It agrees with the noun: una película mala, unos días malos.Malo shortens before the noun
Before a masculine singular noun, malo loses the -o: un mal día. The feminine stays whole: una mala idea.Ser malo or estar malo
El niño es malo means the child is naughty. In Spain, El niño está malo means he's sick, and food that está mala tastes bad or has gone off.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Aquí duermo mal.
I sleep badly here.
Jugaste muy mal.
You played very badly.
El barrio está mal conectado.
The neighborhood has poor transport links.
Sí, muy mal.
Yes, very bad.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Duermo malo
✓Duermo mal
After a verb you need the adverb mal. Malo only describes nouns.
✗un malo día
✓un mal día
Right before a masculine singular noun, malo drops its -o.
✗una mal idea
✓una mala idea
Only the masculine form gets shorter. With a feminine noun, keep mala.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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How to remember it
Mal is the same piece you see at the start of English malfunction and malpractice, where it also means bad.
Questions about "bad" in Spanish
How do you say bad in Spanish?
Mal or malo. Use mal after a verb (Duermo mal) and malo or mala to describe a noun (una mala noticia).
What's the difference between mal and malo?
Mal is an adverb and never changes. Malo is an adjective that agrees with its noun, and it shortens to mal before a masculine singular noun.
How do you say "I feel bad" in Spanish?
Estoy mal or Me siento mal. Both use mal because they say how you are doing.
How do you say "not bad" in Spanish?
No está mal, or nada mal when something turned out better than you expected.
