Need opinion on Fea/feo vs Mal
So I am currently learning phrases with the words Fea and mal. Was having quite a difficult time understanding when each is more proper to use. The best I can tell (with Food or other items) if something looks or tastes poor the term fea or feo is used. Where if something SMELLS off or bad the term Mal is used in the sentence.
My other possible impression was that if a food just smelled or tasted bad but is not necessarily bad, the term feo or fea is used. When the intention is that something is off such as the milk has gone bad or something is not safe to eat such as rotten then the term mal is used.
So feo/fea used when something is unappetizing and Mal used when something is described as actually off or bad.
So which of the above is correct? or are the terms totally interchangeable, so a guy smells some stinky socks and says they smell mal, then he can replace mal with Feo and no one would think anything wrong with the phrase?
3 Answers
Feo/fea has to do with something you can see. A person, an animal a thing, an action that is unpleasant,
- Mal has to do with something or some one that is bad. Mal hombre = bad man, ma día, a bad day.
- Many people use them interchangeable, but it is not correct. Same like here in the U.S. people use expressions that are not quite correct but have become so normal that is socially accepted. I.E "Huele mal/feo" = Smells bad, the correct expression is "huele mal" but some people say "huele feo" Personally, I don't use that word in that way.
Una comida puede "oler feo"... It is idiomatic for Esta comida huele mal.
Maldito, mal humor, que mala idea..
Que chica tan fea, la pobrecita.. Un hombre muy feo..
La comida no me gusta, (no es sabroso??) . Que olor horible, si , de verdad, huele mal..
Basically, just as Fallaron says, I'm jut giving some examples.
