ça va mal
The English phrase "I am doing bad" is expressed in French as ça va mal.
ça va mal is used to express that one's life or a current situation is going poorly. While you might use je vais mal to specifically describe your own personal health or mental state, ça va mal is a more common and slightly more detached way to say that things in your life or a general situation are not going well.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "it goes badly". Here, ça means "it" and va is the third-person singular form of the verb aller (to go).
Which one should you use?
ça va mal is the direct antonym of ça va bien, which means "it is going well".
Did you know?
- The expression ça va mal can be used to complain about the entire state of the world if you use a specific dramatic downward tone.
- While ça va mal refers to a situation, the word mal is used with the verb avoir to describe physical pain.
- The word va in this phrase shares a common ancestor with the English verb 'evade', both coming from the Latin 'vādō'.
Examples in context
- Depuis que j'ai perdu mon travail, ça va mal.Since I lost my job, things have been going badly.
- Désolé, mais ça va mal en ce moment.I am sorry, but things are going badly at the moment.
- Depuis son départ, ça va mal pour lui.Since his departure, things have been going badly for him.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are catching up over coffee.
- ManonSalut Hugo ! Alors, ça va ?Hi Hugo! So, how are you?
- HugoHonnêtement, Manon, ça va mal.Honestly, Manon, I am doing bad.
- ManonOh non, qu'est-ce qui se passe ?Oh no, what's happening?
- HugoJ'ai trop de travail au bureau.I have too much work at the office.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mal, va, ça, CC BY-SA 4.0.
