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How to Say "lousy" in Spanish

English → Spanish

malo

/MAH-loh//'malo/

AdjectiveA1Informal
Use 'malo' when 'lousy' refers to something generally bad, poor in quality, or simply not good, often in a subjective sense.
A poorly made, broken toy robot with an arm dangling off, illustrating low quality.

Examples

Este es un libro malo; no me gusta.

This is a bad book; I don't like it.

Tuve un mal día en el trabajo.

I had a bad day at work.

La película tiene un final muy malo.

The movie has a very bad ending.

Shortening 'malo' to 'mal'

When 'malo' comes right before a masculine word, it shortens to 'mal'. For example, you say 'un mal día' (a bad day), not 'un malo día'.

Matching the Noun

Like most adjectives, 'malo' changes to match the thing it describes: 'malo' (masculine singular), 'mala' (feminine singular), 'malos' (masculine plural), and 'malas' (feminine plural).

Forgetting to shorten to 'mal'

Mistake: “Tengo un malo presentimiento.”

Correction: Tengo un mal presentimiento. (I have a bad feeling.) Remember to drop the '-o' before a single masculine thing.

AdjectiveA1Informal
Choose 'terrible' when 'lousy' emphasizes a very poor quality or an extremely negative experience, often implying something is awful or dreadful.

Examples

Las noticias que recibimos fueron terribles.

The news we received was awful.

Malo vs. Terrible

Learners often confuse 'malo' and 'terrible' because both can mean 'bad.' However, 'terrible' is a stronger word, closer to 'awful' or 'dreadful,' while 'malo' is more general, like 'bad' or 'poor quality.' Use 'terrible' for emphasis on extreme negativity.

Related Translations

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