Today’s Spanish word of the day is “malo”.
It’s an adjective usually meaning “bad” or “evil”. It can also mean “sick” or “ill”.
When used before a singular masculine noun, the word “malo” is shortened to “mal”, for example:
- Un mal sueño. – A bad dream.
This form of the word can also be used as a noun meaning “evil” or “sickness”, or an adverb meaning “badly” or “poorly. Here are a few examples:
- El bien y el mal existen. – Good and evil exist.
- Dormí mal anoche. – I slept poorly last night.
The word “malo” comes from Latin malus, meaning “bad” or “evil”. Some English words from this root include “malicious” and “malaria”, as well as several words that begin with mal-, for example “malfeasance” and “malcontent”.
Example sentences
El tiempo está malo hoy.
The weather is bad today.
Ese restaurante tiene una reputación mala debido al mal servicio.
That restaurant has a bad reputation because of the poor service.
El niño no es malo, solo travieso.
The boy isn’t bad, just mischievous.
El concepto de lo que es “malo” varía según las culturas, pero muchas veces está relacionado con el daño que se causa a los demás.
The concept of what is “bad” varies across cultures, but it is often related to the harm caused to others.
No seas malo con tu hermano.
Don’t be mean to your brother.
