chico malo
/t͡ʃiko malo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "nasty boy" is translated into Spanish as chico malo.
This phrase is used to describe a boy or young man who behaves badly or is unkind. While the word malo can mean "bad" or "evil," when used in the context of a child, it is the standard way to describe someone being naughty or unkind.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, you must change both the noun and the adjective, resulting in chicos malos.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃiko malo/
Did you know?
- The word chico may have been borrowed from chiʼik, a word from the Yucatec Maya language.
- In Spanish, placing malo before the noun as mal chico can change the meaning from 'naughty' to 'a poor quality boy' or 'a boy in a bad situation'.
- While chico malo describes a naughty boy, the word malo is also used in Spanish to describe food that has gone bad or is spoiled.
Examples in context
- No me gusta estar cerca de ese chico desagradable.I don't like being around that nasty boy.
- Los profesores no toleran el comportamiento del muchacho grosero.The teachers don't tolerate the behavior of the rude boy.
- Ese niño malcriado siempre hace travesuras.That nasty boy is always up to mischief.
- Mi hermano menor es un chico travieso, siempre está haciendo travesuras divertidas.My younger brother is a naughty boy. He's always up to funny mischief.
- Ese chico malo no quiere compartir sus juguetes.That nasty boy does not want to share his toys.
- ¡No seas un chico malo!Don't be a nasty boy!
Example conversation
Lucía is telling Javier about a boy at school.
- JavierJavier, ese niño fue un chico malo hoy.Javier, that boy was a nasty boy today.
- LucíaLucía, ¿qué hizo exactamente?Lucía, what exactly did he do?
- JavierLe quitó el juguete a un compañero.He took a toy away from a classmate.
- LucíaQué mal, no debe ser un chico malo.That's bad, he shouldn't be a nasty boy.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chico, malo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
