Which one should you use?
While mal is the most common way to express the idea of doing something poorly, you may encounter the form malamente, which is a valid adverb often used in specific literary or rhythmic contexts. For a more formal tone, you can use deficientemente to mean poorly or deficiently or imperfectamente to mean imperfectly, describing something done with flaws.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the informal term chafa is used to refer to things of poor quality or things that are poorly made. In Spain, the term deplorablemente is used to indicate something has been done very poorly.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike many Spanish adverbs that are created by adding the suffix -mente to an adjective, mal is a short, irregular adverb. Because it is an adverb, it does not change its form to match the gender or number of the subject.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmal/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the adjective malo (which means "bad") when you intend to describe how an action is performed. Instead, use the adverb mal to describe the manner in which something is done.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word mal shares a common ancient ancestor with the English prefix 'mal-' found in words like 'malfunction' and 'malpractice'.
- In Spanish, the phrase pasarlo mal is used to describe having a hard time or going through a rough patch in life, rather than doing a specific task poorly.
- Spanish has a specific way to describe a 'spoiled' child by combining the concept of 'bad' with 'raised'. The word malcriado literally translates to 'badly raised'.
Examples in context
- Mi reloj funciona mal.My watch works poorly.This sentence shows how to use mal to describe a machine's function.Tatoeba #1901885 by hayastan, translation #7995740 by BRCoolata
- Ese trabajo está mal hecho.That work is poorly done.This sentence uses mal to describe the quality of completed work.Tatoeba #2267912 by cueyayotl, translation #2267911 by _undertoad
- Las baldosas están mal colocadas.The tiles are poorly laid.This sentence uses mal to describe the placement of objects.Tatoeba #8322180 by arh, translation #10258610 by LimeGreenTeknii
- El proyecto fue ejecutado deficientemente.The project was executed poorly.
- El examen fue corregido imperfectamente.The exam was graded poorly.
- El pastel está mal hecho, no se cocinó lo suficiente.The cake is poorly made, it wasn't cooked enough.
- Escribieron la carta de mala manera, está llena de errores.They wrote the letter in a bad way, it's full of mistakes.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are discussing a project they worked on together.
- LucíaCreo que escribimos mal el título.I think we wrote the title poorly.
- JavierTienes razón, Lucía. Lo corregiré ahora.You are right, Lucía. I will correct it now.
- LucíaGracias, Javier. No queremos que se vea mal.Thanks, Javier. We don't want it to look bad.
- JavierDe acuerdo, quedará perfecto.Agreed, it will be perfect.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
