What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tipo, meaning 'guy' or 'type' and malo, meaning 'bad'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
tipo malo is a colloquial way to describe a bad guy. For a more formal or literary tone, you might use malvado to mean a wicked or evil one. In slang, the term malote is used to describe a tough guy or someone who acts like a criminal.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a female bad guy, the gender of both words changes to the feminine: tipa mala. For the plural form, use tipos malos, where both the noun and the adjective take the plural -s ending. Regarding related adjectives, the feminine form of malo is mala and its plural is malos. For the adjective malvado, the feminine form is malvada and the plural is malvados.
How do you pronounce it?
/tipo malo/
Did you know?
- While tipo malo refers to a villain, the slang term malote can actually be used as a compliment to describe someone who is perceived as a 'cool' or 'tough' rebel.
- The word tipo shares its roots with the Greek word for 'to poke' or 'to strike', as it originally referred to a 'mark' or 'imprint'.
- While tipo malo describes a villain, the phrase el malo de la película is a common idiom used to describe the antagonist in any real-life situation, not just in movies.
Examples in context
- El malo robó el bancoThe bad guy robbed the bank
- Ese hombre es un malvadoThat man is a bad guy
- Él es el tipo malo de la película.He is the bad guy in the movie.
- El tipo malo tiene un plan secreto.The bad guy has a secret plan.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are discussing a movie they just watched.
- LucíaMe gustó mucho la película.I liked the movie a lot.
- MateoSí, pero el tipo malo era muy aterrador.Yes, but the bad guy was very scary.
- LucíaEs verdad, daba miedo su mirada.It's true, his look was scary.
- MateoFue el mejor personaje del filme.He was the best character in the film.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries malo, tipo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
