mal olor
/mal oloɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "bad smell" is translated into Spanish as mal olor.
Mal olor is a straightforward and general way to express an unpleasant or offensive scent in Spanish.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective mal (bad) and the noun olor (smell).
Which one should you use?
While mal olor is a general term, you can use hedor to emphasize a stronger and more intense bad smell. To describe something specifically rotting or decomposing, you might use the adjective apestoso/a. If you want to describe something as simply having a foul smell, you can use the adjective hediondo/a or hedionda.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because olor is a masculine noun, the adjective malo shortens to mal when placed directly before it. The plural form of this phrase is malos olores.
How do you pronounce it?
/mal oloɾ/
Did you know?
- The term apestoso is derived from 'peste', meaning 'plague', implying that something with a 'bad smell' is as offensive as a disease.
- The word mal is inherited from the Latin 'male', which is the root for many English words related to wrongdoing, such as 'malpractice' and 'malevolent'.
- The word hediondo is used to describe someone or something that is fundamentally foul-smelling, often used as a strong insult.
Examples in context
- El mal olor nos dio asco.The bad smell disgusted us.This sentence shows how a bad smell can cause disgust.Tatoeba #1342169 by marcelostockle, translation #49679 by CK
- El pequeño animal emanaba un mal olor.The small animal gave off a bad smell.This sentence describes an animal giving off a bad smell.Tatoeba #4532147 by fedeca, translation #46543 by Dejo
- El mal olor me dio asco.The bad smell sickened me.This sentence illustrates how a bad smell can make someone feel sick.Tatoeba #4789742 by mervert1, translation #65834 by CK
- El baño tiene un mal olor.The bathroom has a bad smell.
- Cerca de la granja hay un hedor insoportable.Near the farm, there is an unbearable stench.
- ¡Qué tufo tiene este perfume!This perfume smells awful!
- Ese queso está hediondo.That cheese smells awful.
- ¡No tires eso aquí, es apestoso!Don't throw that here, it stinks!
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are in their apartment.
- SofíaDaniel, ¿sientes este mal olor?Daniel, do you smell this bad smell?
- DanielSí, Sofía, parece que algo se dañó.Yes, Sofía, it seems like something spoiled.
- SofíaCreo que es la comida de ayer.I think it is yesterday's food.
- DanielVoy a tirarla ahora mismo.I will throw it away right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
