Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| malos modales | /malos modales/ (from spelling rules) | masculine, plural |
| falta de educación | /falta de edukaθjon/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /falta de edukasjon/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
Both terms describe the treatment of other people in an impolite or discourteous way.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase falta de educación literally translates to 'lack of education', but it is the standard way to refer to bad manners or being impolite in Spanish.
Which one should you use?
Malos modales focuses specifically on specific bad habits or 'modes' of behavior used in social settings. In contrast, falta de educación refers more broadly to a lack of social etiquette.
How does it change in a sentence?
Falta de educación is a feminine noun phrase, while malos modales is a masculine plural noun phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
/malos modales/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not assume that educación only refers to academic schooling. In Spanish, it is frequently used to mean 'upbringing' or 'social etiquette'.
When do people say it?
A very common way to react to someone's rude or impolite behavior is to use the exclamation ¡Qué mala educación! (How rude!).
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, telling a child no tienes educación is a severe criticism of their parents' ability to raise them, not just a comment on the child's behavior.
- The word falta in falta de educación is a cognate of the English word 'fault'. Both stem from the Latin word 'fallere' meaning to deceive or fail.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, describing someone as having mala educación is a much sharper social rebuke than simply saying they are 'rude' in English. It suggests a fundamental flaw in how they were raised.
Examples in context
- Mostrar falta de educación es inaceptableDisplaying bad manners is unacceptable
- Es importante evitar los malos modalesIt's important to avoid bad manners
- No puedo tolerar su mala educaciónI can't tolerate his/her bad manners
- No puedo tolerar su mala educación. Siempre come con la boca abiertaI can't tolerate his/her bad manners. They always eat with their mouth open
- Es tan desconsiderado/a no saludarIt's so inconsiderate not to say hello
- Es tan desconsiderado/a no saludar. Debería aprender a ser más educado/aIt's so inconsiderate not to say hello. He/She should learn to be more polite
- Esos niños tienen muy malos modales.Those children have very bad manners.
- No me gustan sus malos modales en la mesa.I do not like his bad manners at the table.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are discussing a rude person at a party.
- AlejandroEse hombre tiene muy malos modales.That man has very bad manners.
- LucíaSí, Lucía piensa que fue muy grosero.Yes, Lucía thinks he was very rude.
- Alejandro¿Viste cómo interrumpió a todos?Did you see how he interrupted everyone?
- LucíaFue terrible, no tiene ninguna educación.It was terrible, he has no manners at all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bad manners” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, educación, falta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
