esto es malo
/esto es malo/from spelling rules
The phrase "this is bad" in Spanish is esto es malo.
esto es malo is used to describe a situation or a thing that is not good or is unpleasant.
Which one should you use?
esto es malo is used to describe an abstract concept or a general situation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you might hear Esto está fatal. to mean "This is terrible." In some Latin American countries, the phrase Esto es una cagada. is used to mean "This is a mess."
How do you pronounce it?
/esto es malo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not say esto es mala. Because the pronoun esto is neuter, it must be paired with the neuter adjective malo.
Did you know?
- If a situation is extremely bad, rather than using a stronger adjective, Spanish speakers often use the word fatal to indicate that something is at its absolute worst.
- Depending on the context, calling a person malo can be a playful way to describe them as 'naughty' or 'mischievous' rather than truly evil.
- The word malo is a cognate of the English word 'malice' and the prefix 'mal-' used in words like 'malfunction'.
Examples in context
- Esto es malo para los negocios.This is bad for business.This sentence is useful for showing how to use esto es malo regarding business.Tatoeba #5056502 by don_ramon, translation #5056471 by CK
- Esto es malo para el medio ambiente.This is bad for the environment.This sentence is useful for showing how to use esto es malo regarding the environment.Tatoeba #1641737 by Shishir, translation #1641532 by Spamster
- Esto es inaceptable, el producto que compré no funciona correctamente.This is unacceptable, the product I purchased doesn't work correctly.
- ¡Esta película es pésima, no tiene sentido!This movie is awful, it doesn't make any sense!
- Esto es malo para mi salud.This is bad for my health.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are looking at a broken appliance.
- MateoMira el motor, María.Look at the motor, María.
- MaríaOh no, esto es malo.Oh no, this is bad.
- Mateo¿Crees que podemos arreglarlo?Do you think we can fix it?
- MaríaNo, creo que es el final.No, I think it's the end.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
