mal

badly

adverb mahl Rare

Origin: From Latin male (badly).

Also means

ill-

Usage Note

Mal is an apocopated (shortened) form of male, used only before another word: mal di testa (headache, literally 'head-bad'), mal di stomaco (stomachache). As a standalone adverb 'badly', the full form male is used (sto male = 'I feel ill'). Do not use mal in isolation.

Examples

"Ha un forte mal di testa oggi."

Natural Translation

He has a bad headache today.

Literal Translation

He has a strong bad of head today.

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