no hablar el mal
/no ablaɾ el mal/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "speak no evil" is no hablar el mal.
To avoid saying bad things about other people or speaking about wicked matters.
How do you pronounce it?
/no ablaɾ el mal/
Did you know?
- While mal means 'bad' or 'evil', it is closely related to the Latin 'malum', which can also mean 'apple' in certain classical contexts, though the meanings diverged over time.
- The word hablar comes from the Latin fābulārī, which means 'to chat' or 'to converse'. This makes it a linguistic cousin to the English word 'fable'.
- In Spanish, the concept of 'evil' or 'bad' is often expressed by the word mal, which shares a root with the English word 'malice' and the prefix 'mal-'.
Examples in context
- Sara siempre evita hablar mal de los demás, es una persona muy respetuosa.Sara always avoids speaking ill of others, she is a very respectful person.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are discussing a conflict between their friends.
- AlejandroMaría, ¿sabes lo que dijeron de Juan?María, do you know what they said about Juan?
- MaríaSí, pero yo prefiero no hablar el mal.Yes, but I prefer to speak no evil.
- AlejandroTienes razón, no es bueno criticar.You are right, it is not good to criticize.
- MaríaExacto, es mejor enfocarse en lo positivo.Exactly, it is better to focus on the positive.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, hablar, mal, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
