mal/mal/
adverb / noun / adjective / prop.n. · A1 · Frequency 298
adverb
Meanings
badly
Used as an adverb to indicate poor quality of an action or state, common in both spoken and written language.
unwell
Used as an adverb to express physical or mental discomfort or pain, commonly used to describe health conditions.
Examples
Le stagiaire a mal compris la consigne.
The trainee misunderstood the instruction.
Cette imprimante fonctionne mal depuis hier.
This printer has been working badly since yesterday.
J'ai mal dormi à cause du bruit.
I slept badly because of the noise.
Collocations
- travailler malto work badly
- se sentir malto feel unwell
Common mistakes
avoir mal
avoir mal à
When expressing pain, the verb avoir should be followed by the preposition à plus the body part, e.g., avoir mal à la tête.
Related words
nounmasculine
Meanings
trouble, difficulty
Refers to difficulties or problems encountered in life or work.
pain
Refers to physical sensation of pain.
evil, damage, harm
Refers to moral evil or harm caused to people or things.
Examples
J'ai du mal à comprendre cette consigne.
I have trouble understanding this instruction.
Elle a mal au genou depuis sa chute.
Her knee has been hurting since her fall.
Le mal causé par cette décision prendra du temps à disparaître.
The harm caused by this decision will take time to disappear.
Collocations
- avoir du malto have difficulty; to have trouble
- avoir malto hurt; to be in pain
Common mistakes
avoir de le mal
avoir du mal
In the fixed expression avoir du mal, de and the masculine singular definite article le must contract to du.
Related words
adjectivemasculine
Meanings
bad
Used as an adjective to describe poor quality or condition.
Examples
Ce film est vraiment mal, je ne le recommande pas du tout.
This movie is really bad, I do not recommend it at all.
Il a eu une mauvaise journée parce que tout s'est mal passé.
He had a bad day because everything went badly.
Elle chante mal, mais elle aime beaucoup la musique.
She sings badly, but she really loves music.
Collocations
- Un mauvais résultat est souvent décevantA bad result is often disappointing
- Il agit mal quand il est en colèreHe acts badly when he is angry
- Cette nourriture a un goût malThis food tastes bad
Common mistakes
C'est un mal résultat.
C'est un mauvais résultat.
When expressing “bad” before a noun, mal cannot be used directly; mal is generally an adverb, so the adjective mauvais is required.
Related words
prop.n.masculine
Meanings
Section of Tongres in Belgium
Examples
Mal est une section de la ville belge de Tongres.
Mal is a section of the Belgian city of Tongres.
La section de Mal se trouve dans la commune de Tongres.
The section of Mal is located in the municipality of Tongres.
Les habitants de Mal participent aux activités de Tongres.
The inhabitants of Mal take part in Tongres's activities.
Collocations
- Mal est une section située à Tongres en BelgiqueMal is a section located in Tongres, Belgium
- La région de Mal est connue pour son histoire localeThe Mal region is known for its local history
Common mistakes
le Mal
Mal
As a proper noun for a place name, Mal is used without an article.
Related words
synonymTongresTongres (city in Belgium)
nounmasculine
Meanings
trouble, difficulty
Refers to difficulties or problems encountered in life or work.
pain
Refers to physical sensation of pain.
evil, damage, harm
Refers to moral evil or harm caused to people or things.
Examples
Les maux financiers de l'entreprise ont retardé le projet.
The company's financial troubles delayed the project.
Ses maux de dos l'empêchent de travailler longtemps debout.
His back pain prevents him from working standing up for long.
Les maux causés par la pollution touchent surtout les enfants.
The harm caused by pollution mainly affects children.