Mal vs mau

27 de May de 2013

Hi folks! How are you doing? Today let’s talk about something that confuses many foreigners: the difference betweenΒ mal vs mau.

The word Mau in Portuguese

To begin our Portuguese lesson for foreigners, let’s start with the wordΒ mau. The wordΒ mau (bad) is an adjective, and it’s the opposite of bom (good). Don’t remember what an adjective is? Click on the previous link to learn more. But to help you a little bit: an adjective gives characteristics to a noun.

The word mauΒ has also the feminine form mΓ‘ and can be in the singular or plural form, just like bom (and other adjectives).

Take a look at the examples:

Aquele filme Γ© bom.
That movie is good.

Não gosto daquele homem porque ele é mau.
I don’t like that man because he is aΒ badΒ person.

Mau Masculine singular
MΓ‘ Feminine singular
Maus Masculine plural
MΓ‘s Feminine plural

The word Mal in Portuguese

The wordΒ malΒ (badly) is the opposite of bem (well), an adverb. The adverbs modify the meaning of verbs or another adverbs. Click in the previous link to learn more about it.

Ele fala portuguΓͺs muito mal.
She speaks PortugueseΒ badly.

Ela cuida muito mal do carro dela.
She takes care of her car so badly.

The wordΒ mal, just like the wordΒ bem, is an adverb so they don’t vary in quantity (singular or plural) or gender (masculine or feminine).

Let’s take a look at some structures:

Examples of the difference between mal vs mau

Ele Γ© mau. NΓ£o gosto dele.
He is a bad person. I don’t like him.

O cachorro Γ© muito mau.
The dog is really evil.

Aquele garoto Γ© mau: ele bate nas crianΓ§as menores.
That boy is mean: He beats up smaller children.

Ele falou mal de vocΓͺ para mim.
He spoke badlyΒ of you to me.

Ele cuida muito mal dos livros.
He takes care of his books soΒ badly.

Ele trata malΒ as pessoas. NΓ£o tem educaΓ§Γ£o. Que rude!
He treats people badly. He is not polite. What a rude person!

Let’s pronounce mal vs mau!Β 

Now take a look at the table below, and learn how to pronunce each word.

Mau
MΓ‘
Maus
MΓ‘s
Mal

That’s the difference between mau and mal in Portuguese, let’s practice a little?

Now it’s your turn!

Use the words mau and malΒ to complete the sentences correctly.

  1. O portuguΓͺs dele Γ© muito _______________.
  2. Carla Γ© uma boa motorista mas seu marido, JoΓ£o, dirige _______________.
  3. NΓ³s temos trabalhado _______________ por isso temos conseguido _______________ resultados.
  4. _______________ posso esperar para encontrar com vocΓͺ de novo.
  5. Eu tenho medo do mar porque nado muito _______________.
  6. VocΓͺ foi um bom ou um _______________ aluno na escola?
  7. Juliana sempre foi uma _______________ estudante em matemΓ‘tica, sempre tirava notas ruins.
  8. Eles nΓ£o danΓ§am tΓ£o _______________ quando bebem cervejas ou caipirinhas.
  9. Meu portuguΓͺs estΓ‘ muito _______________, preciso estudar mais.
  10. Luana cozinha super _______________! NΓ£o sabia que ele era tΓ£o _______________ cozinheira.

That’s it, now you know how to use mau vs mal! We hope you have enjoyed this Portuguese Dica for foreigners. If you have any more doubts, have online Portuguese classes with us. We are waiting for you.

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Click in the links below to see more related Dicas
Adjectives in Portuguese
Common adverbs in Portuguese
Difference between bom e bem in Portuguese
Verbo ser (To be)

Answers of the exercise about mal vs mau

  1. mau
  2. mal
  3. mal / maus
  4. Mal
  5. mal
  6. mau
  7. mΓ‘
  8. mal
  9. mau
  10. mal / mΓ‘