How to Say “Really Bad” in French

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très mauvais
The English phrase 'really bad' is translated into French as très mauvais.
très mauvais is used to describe something of very low quality or a situation that is very unpleasant. While it literally translates to 'very bad', it is the standard way to express the concept of 'really bad' when discussing quality or character.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of très, meaning 'very' and mauvais, meaning 'bad'.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Quebec French, you may hear the informal expression ben ordinaire to mean 'really bad'. This is related to the regional use of ben, which is a variation of bien meaning 'very'.

How does it change in a sentence?

The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use très mauvais for masculine singular or masculine plural nouns. For feminine singular nouns, use très mauvaise, for feminine plural nouns use très mauvaises. Note that très mauvais is the form used for masculine plural nouns.

Did you know?

  • While très mauvais is the standard way to say 'really bad', French speakers often use the single word nul to mean something is so bad it is effectively 'zero'.
  • The word mauvais is a linguistic relative of the word 'fate', stemming from the Late Latin 'malifātius' which means 'unfortunate'.

Examples in context

  • Cela semble très mauvais.
    That sounds really bad.
    This sentence is useful for describing how something sounds using très mauvais.
    Tatoeba #5441268 by Aiji, translation #3721394 by CM
  • Sami a une très mauvaise vue.
    Sami has a really bad eyesight.
    This sentence is useful for describing eyesight using très mauvais.
    Tatoeba #6488700 by Micsmithel, translation #6484966 by OsoHombre
  • Je suis un très mauvais danseur.
    I'm a really bad dancer.
    This sentence is useful for describing a dancer using très mauvais.
    Tatoeba #5801060 by Toynop, translation #3735488 by CK
  • La situation financière de l'entreprise est vraiment très mauvaise.
    The financial situation of the company is really bad.
  • Le service fourni par cette compagnie est extrêmement médiocre.
    The service provided by this company is extremely mediocre.
  • Les conséquences de cette erreur sont incroyablement désastreuses.
    The consequences of this mistake are incredibly disastrous.
  • Ce film est vraiment pourri, on aurait mieux fait de rester chez nous.
    This movie is really bad, we should have stayed home.
  • Cette idée est carrément nulle, on devrait en trouver une meilleure.
    This idea is really bad, we should come up with a better one.
  • Les résultats de l'examen étaient absolument catastrophiques, je vais devoir travailler plus dur.
    The exam results were absolutely catastrophic, I'll have to work harder.
  • Ce magasin-là, c'est ben ordinaire, j'ai trouvé rien de bon.
    That store is really bad, I didn't find anything good.
  • 6 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Nathan and Léa are discussing a movie they just watched.

  1. Nathan

    Qu'est-ce que tu as pensé du film ?
    What did you think of the movie?
  2. Léa

    Honnêtement, je trouve que c'est très mauvais.
    Honestly, I think it's really bad.
  3. Nathan

    Je suis d'accord, le scénario était nul.
    I agree, the script was terrible.
  4. Léa

    C'est vraiment un très mauvais choix.
    It's really a very bad choice.

Sources

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Christian Bradley
Christian BradleyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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