tan mal
/tan mal/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for 'so bad' is tan mal.
tan mal is used to describe something that is performed or experienced to a very poor or unsatisfactory degree.
Which one should you use?
tan mal is the adverbial form used when describing how an action is performed, such as 'He sings so bad'. In contrast, you should use the adjectival forms tan malo or tan mala when describing the quality of a thing, such as 'The song is so bad'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the word fatal is commonly used to express the idea of 'so bad'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the phrase changes depending on what it modifies. Use the adverb tan mal to modify a verb. If you are using the phrase as an adjective to modify a noun, you must use tan malo for masculine nouns or tan mala to agree with a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/tan mal/
Did you know?
- While tan mal is used for poor performance, Spanish speakers often use fatal to describe feeling 'so bad' physically or emotionally.
- If you say a person is malo, you might be accusing them of being an evil or wicked person rather than just describing a lack of skill.
- The English word 'malevolent' and the Spanish mal are distant linguistic relatives, both tracing back to the same Latin root for 'bad'.
Examples in context
- Si no es tan malo.It's really not so bad.This sentence is useful for saying that something is not as bad as it might seem using tan mal.Tatoeba #5577717 by marcelostockle, translation #3721391 by CM
- No parece tan malo.It doesn't look so bad.This sentence shows how to use tan mal to describe an appearance.Tatoeba #2667245 by teskmon, translation #2591016 by CK
- ¿Acaso es tan malo?Is that so bad?This sentence demonstrates how to ask a question using tan mal.Tatoeba #2847360 by cueyayotl, translation #1808136 by Spamster
- No puedo creer que haya fallado el examen, me siento muy mal.I can't believe I failed the exam, I feel so bad.
- El servicio en ese restaurante es pésimo, no quiero volver nunca más.The service in that restaurant is awful, I never want to go back.
- La comida en ese restaurante fue fatal, no pienso volver.The food in that restaurant was fatal/terrible, I don't plan on returning.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are discussing a movie they just watched.
- ElenaLa película fue tan mal actuada.The movie was so badly acted.
- JavierTienes razón, fue un desastre.You are right, it was a disaster.
- ElenaNunca había visto algo que saliera tan mal.I have never seen something go so badly.
- JavierNi yo, fue una pérdida de tiempo.Neither have I, it was a waste of time.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mal, tan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
