Inklingo

How to Say "awful" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “awful” is “terrible” — use this for a generally very bad or unpleasant experience, like a bad movie or a difficult situation. It can also be used as an intensifier for positive things, meaning 'tremendous'..

terrible🔊A2 / B2

Use this for a generally very bad or unpleasant experience, like a bad movie or a difficult situation. It can also be used as an intensifier for positive things, meaning 'tremendous'.

{ui.learnMore}
horrible🔊A2

This is a very common and direct translation for something that is extremely unpleasant, disgusting, or shocking.

{ui.learnMore}
desagradable🔊A2

Use this to describe something generally unpleasant or offensive, often related to smells, tastes, or general feelings.

{ui.learnMore}
espantoso🔊A2

Choose this when you want to emphasize that something is extremely unpleasant, frightening, or shockingly bad.

{ui.learnMore}
fatal🔊A2

This word is used for situations, outcomes, or even people that are disastrously bad or have very negative consequences.

{ui.learnMore}
pésimoB1

Use this to describe something of extremely poor quality or a very bad experience, often related to services or products.

{ui.learnMore}
malditos🔊A2

This is a stronger, more colloquial term used to express irritation or annoyance about something or someone.

{ui.learnMore}
malos🔊A1

Primarily used for spoiled food or bad weather, 'malos' is a basic term for something being 'not good'.

{ui.learnMore}
tremendo🔊B2

While often meaning 'tremendous' or 'great', it can also describe a negative quality or a significant mistake.

{ui.learnMore}
perra🔊B2

This colloquial term describes a particularly difficult, intense, or unpleasant situation or experience.

{ui.learnMore}
English → Spanish

terrible

/teh-REE-bleh//teˈrible/

adjectiveA2 / B2general
Use this for a generally very bad or unpleasant experience, like a bad movie or a difficult situation. It can also be used as an intensifier for positive things, meaning 'tremendous'.
A sad child frowning at a ruined, soggy sandwich that has completely fallen apart on a blanket, illustrating something that is very bad or awful.

Examples

La película fue terrible, no me gustó nada.

The movie was terrible, I didn't like it at all.

Tuvimos un accidente terrible en la autopista.

We had a terrible accident on the highway.

Siento un dolor de cabeza terrible.

I have a terrible headache.

¡Qué fiesta tan terrible! Nos divertimos muchísimo.

What a tremendous party! We had a great time.

Matching with Nouns

'Terrible' is an adjective, a word that describes things. It needs to match the thing it's describing. The good news is it's the same for masculine and feminine things ('un día terrible', 'una noche terrible'). For plural things, just add an '-s' ('días terribles', 'noches terribles').

Boosting Another Word's Power

In this use, 'terrible' doesn't mean 'bad'. Instead, it acts like 'very' or 'extremely' to make another word stronger. So, 'un hambre terrible' means 'extreme hunger,' not 'a bad-tasting hunger'.

Placement Matters

Mistake: “Vi una terrible película.”

Correction: Vi una película terrible. In Spanish, descriptive words like 'terrible' usually come *after* the thing they describe. It's the opposite of English and a great way to sound more natural!

Confusing 'Bad' with 'Intense'

Mistake: “Hearing '¡Qué mujer tan terrible!' and always assuming it's an insult.”

Correction: It could be an insult, OR it could mean 'What a formidable/impressive woman!'. The speaker's tone of voice and the situation are your best clues to figure out the real meaning.

horrible

/oh-REE-bleh//oˈri.ble/

AdjectiveA2general
This is a very common and direct translation for something that is extremely unpleasant, disgusting, or shocking.
A colorful illustration of a picnic blanket and basket soaked by heavy, dark rain, symbolizing a horrible situation or experience.

Examples

La película fue horrible, no me gustó nada.

The movie was horrible, I didn't like it at all.

Tuve un día horrible en el trabajo.

I had a horrible day at work.

El tráfico a esta hora es horrible.

The traffic at this time is horrible.

One Form for Masculine and Feminine

Unlike many Spanish adjectives that end in '-o' or '-a', horrible always stays the same for both masculine and feminine things. You say un día horrible (a horrible day) and una película horrible (a horrible movie).

Making it Plural

To talk about more than one thing, just add an 's' to the end. For example, días horribles (horrible days) or películas horribles (horrible movies).

Forgetting it's the Same for Masculine/Feminine

Mistake: “El día fue horriblo.”

Correction: Say `El día fue horrible`. Words ending in '-ble' like `horrible`, `terrible`, or `posible` don't change their ending for masculine or feminine things.

Pronunciation of the 'h'

Mistake: “Pronouncing the 'h' at the beginning like in the English word 'horrible'.”

Correction: The 'h' in Spanish is always silent. Start the word with the 'o' sound: /o-REE-bleh/.

desagradable

deh-sah-grah-DAH-bleh/desaɣraˈðable/

adjectiveA2general
Use this to describe something generally unpleasant or offensive, often related to smells, tastes, or general feelings.
A colorful storybook illustration showing a small child character holding a piece of visibly rotten, brown fruit. Green wavy lines symbolizing a foul odor are rising from the fruit, and the child is recoiling slightly with a wrinkled nose.

Examples

El olor en la cocina era muy desagradable.

The smell in the kitchen was very unpleasant.

No quiero trabajar con él; es una persona muy desagradable.

I don't want to work with him; he is a very disagreeable person.

Tuvimos una experiencia desagradable en el aeropuerto.

We had an unpleasant experience at the airport.

Gender Agreement Tip

Since 'desagradable' ends in '-e', it describes both masculine and feminine things without changing its ending. You only need to make it plural: 'desagradables'.

Using Ser vs. Estar

When describing a permanent or typical characteristic (like a person's personality), use 'ser': 'Él es desagradable'. For a temporary state (like a bad taste right now), use 'estar': 'La sopa está desagradable hoy'.

Forgetting the Plural

Mistake: “Las personas desagradable.”

Correction: Las personas desagradables. (Adjectives must match the noun's number.)

espantoso

ess-pahn-TOH-soh/es.panˈto.so/

adjectiveA2general
Choose this when you want to emphasize that something is extremely unpleasant, frightening, or shockingly bad.
A child grimaces in disgust while holding a rotten, green apple covered in mold and emitting a foul odor.

Examples

La comida en ese restaurante era espantosa.

The food in that restaurant was awful.

Llevaba un traje espantoso a la boda.

He wore a hideous suit to the wedding.

Tuvimos un tráfico espantoso al salir de la ciudad.

We had dreadful traffic leaving the city.

Agreement is Key

Since 'espantoso' is an adjective, make sure it matches the thing it describes in gender (o/a) and number (s/es). E.g., 'una película espantosa' (a horrible movie).

fatal

fah-TAHL/faˈtal/

adjectiveA2general
This word is used for situations, outcomes, or even people that are disastrously bad or have very negative consequences.
A piece of toast that has been completely blackened and burnt, sitting alone on a white plate.

Examples

La comida en ese restaurante era fatal, no pudimos terminarla.

The food at that restaurant was terrible; we couldn't finish it.

Mi entrevista de trabajo fue fatal. No creo que me llamen.

My job interview went terribly (was awful). I don't think they'll call me.

Always the Same Form

Unlike most Spanish adjectives, 'fatal' does not change its ending to match the noun's gender (masculine or feminine) or number (singular or plural). It always stays 'fatal'.

Overusing -mente

Mistake: “Hablamos fatalmente de la película.”

Correction: Hablamos fatal de la película. ('Fatal' can act as an adverb without the '-mente' ending.)

pésimo

adjectiveB1general
Use this to describe something of extremely poor quality or a very bad experience, often related to services or products.

Examples

La comida en ese hotel era pésima.

The food at that hotel was awful.

malditos

mal-DEE-tohs/malˈdi.tos/

AdjectiveA2informal
This is a stronger, more colloquial term used to express irritation or annoyance about something or someone.
A cartoon character with a bright red face expressing intense frustration while pulling on a thick rope tied into an impossible, stubborn knot.

Examples

¡Los malditos vecinos hicieron ruido toda la noche!

The damn neighbors made noise all night!

No puedo encontrar mis malditos zapatos.

I can't find my blasted shoes.

Arreglaron los malditos errores del sistema.

They fixed the awful system errors.

Adjective Agreement

Since 'malditos' ends in -os, it is masculine and plural. It must match the noun it describes (e.g., 'los libros malditos').

Using the Singular Form Incorrectly

Mistake: “Usando 'maldito problemas' (Using 'damn problems' with singular form).”

Correction: Use 'malditos problemas.' Remember to make the adjective plural when the noun is plural.

malos

MAH-lohs/ˈmalos/

adjectiveA1general
Primarily used for spoiled food or bad weather, 'malos' is a basic term for something being 'not good'.
A close-up illustration of three brown, shriveled, and partially molded apples sitting on a clean wooden table, indicating low quality.

Examples

Los huevos estaban malos y tuvimos que tirarlos.

The eggs were bad (spoiled) and we had to throw them away.

Tuvimos unos días muy malos de lluvia la semana pasada.

We had some very bad days of rain last week.

Adjective Agreement

'Malos' is used when describing masculine things that are plural (more than one). If you were describing just one masculine thing, you'd use 'malo' or the shortened form 'mal'.

Placement is Flexible

Like many Spanish adjectives, 'malos' can go before or after the noun. Placing it after ('resultados malos') is more common; placing it before ('malos resultados') often adds emphasis.

tremendo

treh-MEN-doh/tɾeˈmen.do/

adjectiveB2general
While often meaning 'tremendous' or 'great', it can also describe a negative quality or a significant mistake.
A cartoon person standing under a small, isolated dark rain cloud that is pouring rain only on them, depicting a terrible situation.

Examples

Fue una tremenda equivocación confiar en él.

It was a terrible mistake to trust him.

El equipo sufrió una tremenda derrota en la final.

The team suffered an awful defeat in the final.

Meaning Shift

The meaning of 'tremendo' often depends on the context. If you are describing something negative, it intensifies that negativity (e.g., 'tremenda hambre' means severe hunger).

perra

/PEH-rrah//'pera/

AdjectiveB2informal
This colloquial term describes a particularly difficult, intense, or unpleasant situation or experience.
A solitary person standing outside under a heavy, dark gray rainstorm, looking very distressed because they have no umbrella.

Examples

Tuve una jaqueca perra todo el día de ayer.

I had a terrible migraine all day yesterday.

¡Qué vida más perra! Nada me sale bien.

What a miserable life! Nothing is going right for me.

Adjective Agreement

When used this way, 'perra' is an adjective and must match the gender of the thing it describes. For a feminine noun use 'perra' (una noche perra), and for a masculine noun use 'perro' (un día perro).

General Negative vs. Specific Intensity

Learners often confuse general negative adjectives like 'terrible' or 'horrible' with those indicating extreme badness like 'pésimo' or 'espantoso'. While 'terrible' can be a safe bet, consider if you need to convey a higher degree of negativity or a specific type of badness (like spoiled food with 'malos').

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.