Today’s Spanish word of the day is “mal”.
It can be used as an adjective, adverb or noun, with the following meanings:
- As an adjective: “Bad”, “wrong” or “sick”.
- As an adverb: “Badly” or “incorrectly”.
- As a noun: “Evil”, “illness”, “harm” or “misfortune”.
Example sentences
Me siento mal.
I feel bad/sick.
Está de mal humor hoy.
He/She is in a bad mood today.
Ella está mal de salud.
She is in poor health.
El niño se portó mal en la escuela.
The boy behaved badly at school.
El mal siempre pierde al final.
Evil always loses in the end.
Common phrases using the word “mal”
The word “mal” is used in a lot of common phrases and expressions. Here are a few:
Pasarlo mal – To have a hard time
Example: Lo pasé mal en la entrevista. – I had a hard time in the interview.
Sentirse mal – To feel bad/unwell
Example: Me siento mal por ti. – I feel bad for you.
Hablar mal de alguien – To speak badly of someone
Example: No hables mal de tus padres. – Don’t speak badly of your parents.
Tener mal aspecto – To look unwell
Example: Ella tiene mal aspecto. – She looks unwell.
Mal que bien – For better or worse
Example: Mal que bien, llegamos a nuestro destino. – For better or worse, we made it to our destination.
Mal entendido – Misunderstanding
Example: Es solo un mal entendido. – It’s just a misunderstanding.
Mal gusto – Bad taste
Example: Su broma fue de mal gusto. – His/Her joke was in poor taste.
Caer mal – To dislike someone/something, or to be rubbed up the wrong way by someone
Example: Me cae mal ese chico. – That guy rubs me up the wrong way.
Estar mal de la cabeza – To be crazy or not right in the head
Example: ¿Estás mal de la cabeza? – Are you out of your mind?
Expressions related to illness using the word “mal”
Many Spanish expressions related to illness use the word “mal”. Here are some examples:
- Estar mal – To be unwell.
- Malestar – Discomfort or malaise.
- Mal de cabeza – Headache.
- Mal del estómago – Stomach ache.
- Mal de altura – Altitude sickness.
- Mal de ojo – The evil eye (the supernatural belief in a kind of curse brought about by looking at someone with evil intent, often inspired by envy).
- Mal de amores – Lovesickness.
- Mal de Parkinson – Parkinson’s disease.
Pablo Escobar, el patrón del mal
One of the most popular Spanish-language TV shows of the last 20 years is the Colombian series Pablo Escobar, el patrón del mal (literally “Pablo Escobar, the patron of evil”). It’s a gripping dramatization of the life of Colombian druglord Pablo Escobar.
According to Lingopie, it’s one of the 17 best shows to learn Spanish on Netflix (affiliate link). It uses plenty of Colombian slang, so could be a great way familiarize yourself with Colombian Spanish, but might be difficult to get used to if you’re used to other varieties of Spanish.
