Adjective
/malo/
The word "malo" is commonly used in the Spanish language to describe something that is not good or of poor quality. It is applicable in various contexts, including moral judgment (e.g., evil) and quality assessment (e.g., a bad meal). It is frequently used in both oral and written forms, but it tends to appear more prominently in day-to-day conversation.
The term is commonly used, predominantly in informal spoken conversations, but is also found in literary and formal writings.
Este libro es muy malo y no lo recomendaría a nadie.
This book is very bad and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
El clima hoy está muy malo, deberíamos quedarnos en casa.
The weather today is very bad; we should stay at home.
Hizo un trabajo malo en su presentación.
He did a bad job in his presentation.
The word "malo" is frequently featured in various idiomatic expressions in Spanish, which add depth to its usage. Some common expressions include:
Example: No puedes esperar que te ayude, es como pedirle peras al olmo.
You can't expect him to help you; it's like asking for pears from the elm.
Example: Aunque las cosas están difíciles, a mal tiempo, buena cara.
Even though things are tough, in bad times, a good face.
Example: Si sigue así, hombre malo, morirá.
If he continues like this, a bad man will die.
The word "malo" originates from the Latin "malus," which also means bad or evil. Its evolution is evident in its persistent usage across different dialects of Spanish.