Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| mau | /ˈmaw/ (Brazil) /ˈmaw/ (Portugal) |
| ruim | /ʁuˈĩ/ (Brazil) /ˈʁwĩ/ (Brazil) |
Both words are used to describe something negative, but they apply to different contexts. Use mau to describe a person's character or the quality of something, typically as the opposite of bom. Use ruim to describe things that perform poorly, taste bad or are of low utility, such as a bad service or bad food.
Which one should you use?
mau is used for moral character or general quality, often acting as the antonym to bom. In contrast, ruim is more specific to performance, taste or usefulness.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word ruim is gender neutral and remains the same whether describing a masculine or feminine noun. While mau is the masculine form, its feminine form is má.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmaw/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid confusing mau with mal. In Portuguese, mau is an adjective meaning "bad", whereas mal is an adverb meaning "badly".
Did you know?
- The expression mau olhado refers to the 'evil eye', a folk belief in which a malevolent glare can cause bad luck or injury.
- While mau describes a bad person, the phrase estou mau can be used in certain regions to mean someone is feeling physically ill or unwell.
- The word ruim shares an ancestral root with the English word 'ruin'.
Examples in context
- Isto não é mau.This isn't bad.This sentence is useful for practicing the form mau.Tatoeba #2363531 by alexmarcelo, translation #2233748 by CK
- O carro é ruim.The car is bad.This sentence is useful for practicing the form ruim.Tatoeba #4388121 by ajdavidl, translation #3050137 by DJ_Saidez
- Nem bom nem mau.In between bad and good.Tatoeba #12019693 by carlosalberto, translation #11662409 by soweli_Wasona
- O serviço foi péssimo.The service was terrible.
- A situação econômica está desfavorável.The economic situation is unfavorable.
- O filme foi ruim.The movie was bad.
- A comida estava horrorosa.The food was horrible.
- Esse produto é um lixo.This product is garbage.
- 397 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Beatriz are discussing a movie they just watched.
- FelipeO que você achou do filme?What did you think of the movie?
- BeatrizEu achei o final muito mau.I thought the ending was very bad.
- FelipeEu concordo, foi um mau final.I agree, it was a bad ending.
- BeatrizSim, a história perdeu a graça.Yes, the story lost its appeal.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bad” translations and entries mau, ruim, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mau, ruim, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
