:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-520925649-58af2eee3df78cdcd82eeaeb.jpg "Mauvais vs. Mal (1)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/left_rail_image_languages-58a22da068a0972917bfb5ba.png "Mauvais vs. Mal (2)")
Updated on February 28, 2020
Mauvais and mal are often confusedbecause they both have negative meanings and can be adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. See the summary table at the bottom.
Adjectives
Mauvais is usually an adjective that modifies a noun and means bad, mean, wrong, etc. Mal means bad, ill-at-ease, immoral, etc., and can only be used as an adjective with copular (state-of-being) verbs such as être (to be) and se sentir (to feel).
| Il a de mauvais yeux. | He has bad eyes (can't see). | C'est mal de dire ça. | It's bad (wrong) to say that. |
| C'est une mauvaise excuse. | That's a bad/poor excuse. | Il est mal à l'école. | He is (feels) uncomfortable at school. |
| Il est mauvais acteur. | He's a bad actor. | Je suis mal avec eux. | I'm on bad terms with them. |
| un mauvais numéro | wrong number | Il va mal ce soir. | He is very ill tonight. |
| une mauvaise personne | bad/malicious person |
Adverbs of Manner
Mal is usually an adverb meaning poorly, badly, improperly, etc. It can also be used in front of a past participle in order to give that verb a negative meaning. Mauvais, in the rare instances where it is used as an adverb (see adverbial adjectives), means bad.
| J'ai mal dormi. | I slept poorly. |
| Il parle mal le français. | He speaks French poorly. |
| La porte ferme mal. | The door doesn't close properly. |
| Ce travail est mal fait. | This work is badly done. |
| Il y a pas mal de gens. | There are quite a few people. |
| Cela sent mauvais. | That smells bad |
| Il fait mauvais. | The weather is bad. |
Nouns
Le mauvais means bad/negative part or bad in the general sense of evil, while le mal (plural maux) refers to a difficulty, evil, or (with the verb avoir) pain.
| Je n'ai pas mangé le mauvais. | I didn't eat the bad part. | J'ai du mal à le voir. | I'm having trouble seeing it. |
| Il ne parle que du mauvais. | He only talks about the bad side. | J'ai mal à la tête. J'ai un mal de tête. | I have a headache. |
| les mauvais | the wicked | J'ai des maux de tête. | I get headaches. |
| le Mauvais | the Devil | le mal du pays | homesickness |
| les maux de société | societal ills |
Summarization
| Mauvais | Mal | |
| adjective | bad (with noun) | bad (with copular verb) |
| adverb | bad | badly |
| noun | bad part | evil(s) |
Format
mlaapachicago
Your Citation
Team, ThoughtCo. "Mauvais vs. Mal." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/mauvais-vs-mal-1368877.Team, ThoughtCo. (2023, April 5). Mauvais vs. Mal. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/mauvais-vs-mal-1368877Team, ThoughtCo. "Mauvais vs. Mal." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/mauvais-vs-mal-1368877 (accessed January 14, 2024).
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