mal
Portuguese, conjunction/ˈmaw/
mal is spelled M-A-L (3 letters) and appears 295 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 310th most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Mal is a Portuguese conjunction meaning “have/had just; have/had barely” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “assim que, tão logo, nem bem”.
What does mal mean in English?
adverb
- 1
badly (in a faulty, dysfunctional or incorrect manner)
O carro está a funcionar/funcionando bem mal.
- 2
hardly; barely
Ele mal consegue estudar com todo este barulho.
- 3
wrong (incorrect)
A resposta está mal.
- 4
unfavourably (in an unfavourable manner)
Penso mal de ti.
- 5
evilly
mal-assombrado
conjunction
- 1
have/had just; have/had barely
Mal tinha saído quando a encontrei.
noun
- 1
masculineevil (malevolent forces or behaviour)
As forças do mal cercaram o castelo.
- 2
masculineharm
Ela não fez por mal.
- 3
masculinemalady (any ailment or disease, especially a lingering one)
mal de Parkinson
prefix
- 1
bad; badly
- 2
poorly
- 3
barely, hardly
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
adverb: 1. de forma pouco satisfatória 2. com dificuldades, a muito custo 3. de forma errônea, com equívocos 4. de maneira não adequada, imprópria
conjunction: 1. assim que, tão logo, nem bem:
noun: 1. algo danoso: 2. problema, contratempo 3. entidade que representa tudo aquilo que é mau: 4. doença
noun: 1. tudo aquilo que se opõe ao Bem, à ética 2. o sofrimento, a perversidade 3. o diabo
prefix: 1. designativo de maldade, imperfeição, negação, desgraça
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of mal
- pior comparative
- mar alternative
- males plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce mal?
- Brazil /ˈmaw/
- Brazil [ˈmaʊ̯]
- Portugal /ˈmal/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to mal
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is mal in Portuguese?
mal appears 295 times per million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).