soy tan malo
/soi tan malo/from spelling rules
The phrase "I am so mean" in Spanish is translated as soy tan malo.
In Spanish, the word used for "mean" can also carry the sense of being "bad" or "evil" in terms of moral character or quality.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use soy tan mala if the speaker is female.
Did you know?
- While soy tan malo refers to your character, if you wanted to say someone is being 'mean' or 'stingy' with money, you would use a completely different word, tacaño.
- In certain Latin American contexts, calling someone malo can actually be a way of saying they are 'tough' or 'formidable', changing the connotation from weakness to strength.
- The word malo is a cognate of the English word 'malice' and the prefix 'mal-' used in words like 'malfunction' or 'malpractice'.
Examples in context
- ¿Has escuchado cómo trato a los demás? Soy muy malo/mala.Have you heard how I treat others? I am very mean.
- Con mis hermanos, siempre soy muy malo/mala onda.With my siblings, I am always a mean person.
- Cuando me molesto, soy re mala persona, lo siento.When I get upset, I'm really mean, I'm sorry.
- Soy tan malo con mis hermanos.I am so mean to my brothers.
Example conversation
Mateo apologizes to María for a sarcastic comment.
- MateoLo siento, María, soy tan malo a veces.I'm sorry, María, I am so mean sometimes.
- MaríaNo importa, Mateo, ya lo olvidé.It doesn't matter, Mateo, I already forgot it.
- MateoGracias por ser tan paciente conmigo.Thank you for being so patient with me.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, todo está bien.Don't worry, everything is fine.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
