mal

Word: mal

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Meaning

"Mal" is a French noun and adverb with several related meanings, always revolving around the concept of something negative or undesirable:

1. As a noun:

   • It means "pain", "evil", "harm", or "wrong".
   • It can refer to physical pain, moral evil, or difficulty.
   • Example: avoir mal means "to be in pain" or "to hurt."

2. As an adverb:

   • It means "badly" or "poorly" when describing an action.
   • It indicates that something is not done well.
   • Example: Il joue mal means "He plays badly."

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Parts or related expressions

• avoir mal à... — to have pain in (a part of the body)
• agir mal — to act badly / wrongly
• faire du mal — to do harm / hurt someone
• c'est mal — it's wrong / bad (morally)

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Synonyms

• For pain or harm: douleur, souffrance, blessure (pain, injury)
• For evil, moral wrong: malfaisance, péché (wrongdoing, sin)
• For badly (adverb): incorrectement, de manière incorrecte

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Antonyms

• For pain/harm: bien (well-being, good health)
• For evil/wrong: bien (good, right)
• For badly (adverb): bien (well)

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Summary

• "Mal" is a versatile French word used both as a noun meaning illness, pain, evil or harm, and as an adverb meaning badly or poorly.
• It can describe physical sensations, moral conditions, or the manner of performing an action.
• Its opposite depends on the context: it translates to "bien" (well, good) in most cases.