Kilo Lingo

le

masculine

/mal/

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Translation

pain, evil, badly

Word origin

From Latin malum ('evil, harm, misfortune'), the noun use of malus ('bad'), and from the adverb male ('badly'). The same root gave English malice, malign and malady.

Origin
Latin
Root
malum
English cognates
malice, malign, malady, malevolent

Grammar

Gendermasculine

Examples

J' , .

I've had a headache since this morning, probably from the noise.

.

He speaks French badly but is making rapid progress.

.

She had difficulty finding a parking spot near the market.

J' au .

My back has been hurting since this morning.

' débutant.

It is not so bad for a beginner.

est à la fois un nom masculin (pain, evil), un adverbe (badly, poorly) et entre dans de nombreuses locutions. Avoir mal à + partie du corps exprime la douleur : j'ai mal au dos, j'ai mal à la gorge. Faire mal (to hurt, to cause pain) est incontournable : ça fait mal !

Avoir du mal à + infinitif (to have difficulty doing something) est très courant : j'ai du mal à comprendre. Pas mal (not bad, quite a lot) est une formule positive en France - pas mal du tout (quite good actually). Le pluriel maux (/mo/) désigne les maux de l'humanité ou de la société : les maux de notre temps.

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mal: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the French word "mal" (pain, evil, badly): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 3.