mala mañana
/mala maɲana/from spelling rules
The English phrase "bad morning" is translated into Spanish as mala mañana.
mala mañana is used to describe a morning that is unpleasant or is characterized by bad events.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural "bad mornings", you use the form malas mañanas. In this plural form, both the adjective and the noun are changed to the feminine plural to match.
How do you pronounce it?
/mala maɲana/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, a mala mañana is often jokingly blamed on waking up with the 'wrong foot' pie izquierdo.
- The word mala when referring to a suitcase comes from the Frankish word for 'leather bag'.
- The word mañana is a linguistic chameleon because it can mean both 'morning' and 'tomorrow' depending on the context.
Examples in context
- ¡Qué mala onda esta mañana! No puedo creer que me haya quedado sin café.What a bad vibe this morning! I can't believe I ran out of coffee.
- Tuve una mala mañana.I had a bad morning.
- Tuve una mala mañana con el tráfico.I had a bad morning with the traffic.
- Parece que será una mala mañana.It looks like it will be a bad morning.
Example conversation
Two colleagues meeting at the office coffee machine.
- DanielHola Lucía, ¿cómo vas?Hi Lucía, how is it going?
- LucíaHe tenido una mala mañana, Daniel.I've had a bad morning, Daniel.
- Daniel¿Pasó algo grave?Did something serious happen?
- LucíaSí, perdí mis llaves y llegué tarde.Yes, I lost my keys and arrived late.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mala, mañana, CC BY-SA 4.0.
