sentirse mal
/sentiɾse mal/from spelling rules
The English phrase "not feeling good" is translated into Spanish as sentirse mal.
The phrase sentirse mal is used to express that someone is feeling sick or is experiencing poor physical or emotional health. You can use Me siento mal. to say you are feeling sick, unwell or generally off. Other ways to convey this include No estoy bien. (I am not well) or No estoy muy bien. to emphasize that you are not feeling very well. If you want to be specific about being ill, you can say Me siento enfermo/a.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes depending on the subject. For example, se siente mal is used to say that he, she or you (formal) feels bad.
How do you pronounce it?
/sentiɾse mal/
Did you know?
- While sentirse mal describes physical or emotional pain, Spanish speakers often use estoy mal to describe a bad financial situation or a failing relationship.
- While sentirse mal often refers to physical sickness, it can also be used to express that you are feeling guilty or experiencing remorse for something you have done.
- The word mal is a cognate of the English prefix 'mal-' found in words like 'malfunction' or 'malpractice', both coming from the same Latin root.
Examples in context
- No me siento bien. Tengo dolor de cabeza.I don't feel well. I have a headache.
- No puedo ir a la fiesta porque me siento mal.I cannot go to the party because I am not feeling good.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
