estás siendo malo
/estas sjendo malo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "you're being mean" is translated as estás siendo malo.
This phrase is used to tell someone that they are acting unkindly or unfairly in the current moment.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb estar (to be, temporary state), the gerund siendo (being) and the adjective malo (bad/mean).
Which one should you use?
Use estás siendo malo to describe temporary behavior (you are acting mean right now), whereas eres malo describes a permanent personality trait (you are a mean person). A common alternative to express that someone is acting unkindly or misbehaving is te estás portando mal.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are speaking to a woman, you must change the adjective to the feminine form mala.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, calling someone malo can carry a much heavier weight of 'evil' or 'wicked' than the English word 'mean' does.
- Spanish speakers often use the diminutive malito to soften the blow of the phrase, making the accusation of being mean sound more like a gentle tease.
- The adjective malo shares a common ancestor with the English word 'malignant', which also describes something harmful or evil.
Examples in context
- Está siendo desagradable. ¿Podemos hablar de esto?You're being unpleasant. Can we talk about this?
- Estás siendo malo/mala. No me gustan tus comentariosYou're being mean. I don't like your comments.
- Me parece que está teniendo un comportamiento poco amable. Me gustaría que tuviéramos en cuenta todas las opinionesIt seems to me that you're behaving unkindly. I would appreciate it if we could consider all opinions
- Estás siendo malo con tu hermano.You're being mean to your brother.
- No me gusta cómo hablas, estás siendo malo.I don't like how you are speaking, you're being mean.
- ¡Para ya! Estás siendo malo con el perro.Stop it! You're being mean to the dog.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are arguing over a board game.
- DanielNo quiero darte ese turno, estás siendo malo.I don't want to give you that turn, you're being mean.
- María¡Solo sigo las reglas del juego, Daniel!I'm just following the rules of the game, Daniel!
- DanielIgual no es justo lo que haces.It's still not fair what you're doing.
- MaríaEstá bien, te daré una oportunidad más.Alright, I'll give you one more chance.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries malo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
