hablarse mal
- Dictionary
hablarse mal(
ah
-
blahr
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seh
mahl
)A pronominal verb phrase combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Se dio cuenta del problema.)
a. to be rude to each other
Mi vecina y su esposo se hablan siempre mal. No sé por qué no se divorcian.My neighbor and her husband are always rude to each other. I don't know why they don't get divorced.
hablar mal
A transitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and requires a direct object (e.g., take out the trash.).
a. to speak badly
Es verdad que habla siete idiomas, pero los habla muy mal.It's true that she speaks seven languages, but she speaks them very badly.
b. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Jane habla mal español porque empezó a estudiarlo hace solo un mes.Jane's Spanish isn't very good because she started studying it only a month ago.
Lola no habla mal inglés, es solo que tiene un acento español muy fuerte.Lola's English isn't bad. It's just that she has a very strong Spanish accent.
a. to be rude to
La dependienta es muy maleducada. Me habló mal solo porque le dije que quería pagar con tarjeta.The shop assistant is really bad-mannered. She was rude to me just because I told her I wanted to pay by card.
An intransitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and does not require a direct object (e.g., Everybody please stand up.).
a. to speak badly of
No me gusta hablar mal de alguien que no está delante.I don't like to speak badly of someone who isn't present.
b. to speak ill of
Juana siempre habla mal de su nuera, pero yo creo que son celos de madre.Juana always speaks ill of her daughter-in-law, but I think it's mother's jealousy.
c. to criticize
No les hagas caso. Ellos hablan mal de todo el mundo.Don't take any notice of what they say. They criticize everyone.
d. to criticise (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
Juan le tiene mucha manía a Carmen y habla muy mal de ella.Juan has got it in for Carmen and criticises her a lot.
e. to bad-mouth (colloquial) (United States)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in the United States
Luis dice que vas por ahí hablando mal de mí. - Eso no es verdad.Luis says you go around bad-mouthing me. - That's not true.
f. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
He oído hablar muy mal de ese hotel. Además, es muy caro.I've heard a lot of bad things about that hotel. Furthermore, it's very expensive.
Nos hablaron mal de esa escuela, por eso trajimos a nuestro hijo a esta.We heard people speak disparagingly about that school. That's why we brought our son to this one.
5. (to swear)
a. to be foul-mouthed
Este niño habla muy mal. No sé dónde habrá aprendido todas esas palabrotas.This boy is really foul-mouthed. I don't know where he learned all those swearwords.
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