Ever tried to say something was done “badly” in French and felt like you were missing the right word? You’re not alone! While you might know a basic translation, the French language, with its rich nuances, offers a fascinating array of alternatives to express incompetence, poor quality, or simply something that didn't go well.

Just like in English, where “badly” can range from “poorly” to “terribly” or “awfully,” French has a spectrum of words and phrases to convey these different shades of meaning.

Learning these variations will not only make your French sound more natural and sophisticated but also allow you to express yourself with greater precision. Let’s dive into 9 different ways to say “badly” in French!

The standard 'badly' – mal

The standard 'badly' – mal. Mal is the most common and versatile word for 'badly' or 'poorly' in French, but it has several important nuances and uses.

Primarily, mal functions as an adverb, meaning it modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It translates to 'badly', 'poorly', 'wrongly', or 'not well'.

It's crucial to distinguish mal from mauvais (bad, adjective). While mal describes how an action is performed or how someone feels, mauvais describes the quality of a noun. For instance, Il chante mal (He sings badly) vs. C'est un mauvais chanteur (He is a bad singer).

One of its most common uses is in the expression avoir mal à (to have pain in/to hurt). This idiom is essential for describing physical pain or discomfort. Example: J'ai mal à la tête (I have a headache).

Mal appears in many other useful expressions. For instance, faire mal means 'to hurt' (e.g., Ça fait mal - That hurts), and mal à l'aise means 'uncomfortable' or 'uneasy'.

Beyond its adverbial role, mal can also be a masculine noun, le mal. In this context, it translates to 'evil', 'harm', 'pain', or 'illness'. Example: Le mal est fait (The damage/harm is done).

Remember these key distinctions: mal (adverb) describes actions or feelings, mauvais (adjective) describes nouns. Avoir mal is for physical pain, and le mal (noun) refers to abstract concepts of evil or specific ailments. Context is always key to understanding its precise meaning.

💡 * Il parle français très mal. (He speaks French very badly.)

• J'ai mal au dos. (My back hurts / I have a backache.)
• Ne fais pas de mal aux animaux. (Don't harm animals.)
• Elle se sent mal depuis ce matin. (She's been feeling unwell since this morning.)
• C'est mal de mentir. (It's wrong to lie.)

The 'poorly' or 'mediocrely' – de façon médiocre

When you want to express that something was done 'poorly' or 'mediocrely' in French, a precise and formal way to do so is with the phrase de façon médiocre.

This phrase literally translates to 'in a mediocre way'. The word façon means 'way' or 'manner', and médiocre means 'mediocre', 'poor', or 'substandard'. Together, they describe the quality of an action.

De façon médiocre is a more formal and somewhat literary expression. While perfectly understandable, it's less common in everyday spoken French compared to simpler adverbs like mal (badly) or médiocrement (mediocrely).

Using de façon médiocre emphasizes the manner in which something was done, highlighting the lack of quality or skill involved. It carries a stronger, more descriptive tone than just saying something was done mal.

You might encounter this phrase in written reports, critical reviews, or formal discussions where the quality of performance, execution, or output is being precisely assessed and deemed unsatisfactory.

For more casual conversations, you would often use mal (badly), pas bien (not well), or simply médiocrement (mediocrely) as an adverb. However, de façon médiocre offers a specific, descriptive weight.

💡 * Il a exécuté la tâche de façon médiocre, sans aucun souci du détail. (He performed the task poorly, without any attention to detail.)* Son travail a été jugé de façon médiocre par le jury. (His work was judged poorly by the jury.)* L'équipe a joué de façon médiocre lors du dernier match. (The team played poorly in the last match.)* La présentation a été préparée de façon médiocre, manquant de clarté et de structure. (The presentation was prepared poorly, lacking clarity and structure.)

The 'incorrectly' or 'wrongly' – de manière incorrecte

The 'incorrectly' or 'wrongly' – de manière incorrecte

De manière incorrecte is a common French phrase that translates to 'incorrectly,' 'wrongly,' or 'in an incorrect manner.'

This phrase is built from de (of/in), manière (manner/way), and incorrecte (incorrect/wrong). So, literally, it means 'in an incorrect manner' or 'in a wrong way.'

While the single adverb incorrectement also means 'incorrectly,' de manière incorrecte is often used to add a slightly more formal tone or to emphasize the way something was done. It can feel a bit more descriptive than a simple adverb.

You'll frequently encounter de manière incorrecte in written contexts, official documents, or when precision in describing an action's execution is desired. It clarifies that the method or manner of an action was flawed.

This phrase typically follows the verb it modifies, describing how an action was performed. For example, 'Il a agi de manière incorrecte' (He acted incorrectly).

Choose de manière incorrecte when you want to convey a slightly more formal register or specifically highlight that the method or approach taken was wrong, rather than just the outcome.

💡 * Il a rempli le formulaire de manière incorrecte. (He filled out the form incorrectly.)

• La question a été posée de manière incorrecte. (The question was asked wrongly.)
• Vous avez répondu de manière incorrecte. (You answered incorrectly.)
• Le problème a été résolu de manière incorrecte. (The problem was solved incorrectly.)

The 'miserably' or 'poorly' (often for performance) – piètrement

The “miserably” or “poorly” (often for performance) – piètrement

Piètrement is an adverb in French, meaning “miserably,” “poorly,” or “lamentably.” It describes how an action is performed or the quality of something.

This adverb is frequently used to describe a performance, effort, or outcome that is of low quality, inadequate, or disappointing. It implies a lack of skill, care, or success.

Piètrement carries a strong negative connotation, highlighting a significant deficiency. It's more emphatic than simply saying “not well” and conveys a sense of regrettable inadequacy.

💡 * Il a joué piètrement au tennis. (He played tennis miserably.)

• Le travail a été fait piètrement. (The work was done poorly.)
• Elle chante piètrement. (She sings lamentably.)
• Ils ont piètrement préparé leur examen. (They poorly prepared for their exam.)

The 'dreadfully' or 'terribly' – affreusement

The 'dreadfully' or 'terribly' – affreusement

Affreusement is a French adverb that translates to 'dreadfully,' 'terribly,' 'horribly,' or 'awfully.' It's derived from the adjective affreux (dreadful, terrible).

It's used to emphasize the negative degree or extent of an adjective or verb, indicating something is extremely bad, unpleasant, or intense. It carries a strong emotional weight.

You'll often hear it with verbs like sentir (to smell, to feel), se comporter (to behave), or adjectives like difficile (difficult), froid (cold), cher (expensive).

While it implies something dreadful, it can also be used hyperbolically to mean 'very' or 'extremely' in a negative sense, similar to how 'terribly' or 'awfully' are used in English.

As an adverb, affreusement typically follows the verb it modifies or precedes the adjective it modifies.

💡 * Il fait affreusement froid aujourd'hui. (It's dreadfully cold today.)

• Elle chante affreusement faux. (She sings terribly out of tune.)
• Le film était affreusement ennuyeux. (The movie was terribly boring.)
• Je me sens affreusement fatigué. (I feel dreadfully tired.)
• La situation est affreusement compliquée. (The situation is terribly complicated.)

The 'awfully' or 'very badly' – terriblement

The French adverb terriblement is derived from the adjective terrible (terrible, dreadful). Its literal meaning aligns with "terribly" or "dreadfully," indicating something done in an extreme or severe manner, often with a negative connotation.

However, terriblement is frequently used as an intensifier, similar to "awfully" or "extremely" in English. It can modify both negative and positive adjectives or adverbs, conveying a sense of "very much" or "to a great extent." For instance, one might be terriblement fatigué (terribly tired) or terriblement beau (awfully beautiful).

While terriblement can mean "very," it often carries a stronger, more emphatic, or even slightly dramatic nuance than simply très (very). It implies an overwhelming or excessive degree of the quality described. It suggests a feeling that is almost too much to bear, whether good or bad.

In a sentence, terriblement typically precedes the adjective or adverb it modifies. When modifying a verb, it usually follows the conjugated verb, especially in simple tenses, or is placed between the auxiliary and the past participle in compound tenses.

💡 * J'ai terriblement faim ce soir. (I'm terribly hungry tonight.)

• Ce film était terriblement ennuyeux. (This film was terribly boring.)
• Elle chante terriblement bien, c'est impressionnant. (She sings awfully well, it's impressive.)
• Il fait terriblement froid dehors aujourd'hui. (It's awfully cold outside today.)
• Nous avons terriblement besoin de vacances. (We terribly need a vacation.)

The 'lamentably' or 'regrettably poorly' – lamentablement

The French adverb lamentablement translates directly to 'lamentably,' 'regrettably,' or 'deplorably poorly.' It's used to describe actions or situations that are sadly inadequate or unsatisfactory.

This adverb carries a strong negative connotation, emphasizing a state of failure, inadequacy, or extreme disappointment. It highlights that something has gone wrong in a way that is regrettable, pathetic, or truly dismal.

Lamentablement typically modifies verbs, describing how an action was performed poorly, or it can intensify adjectives to express a regrettable degree. It's often found in formal or literary contexts when expressing strong disapproval or sadness over a poor outcome.

💡 * L'équipe a joué lamentablement et a perdu le match. (The team played lamentably and lost the game.)

• Son projet a lamentablement échoué malgré tous ses efforts. (His project lamentably failed despite all his efforts.)
• La qualité du service était lamentablement médiocre. (The quality of the service was lamentably poor.)
• Il a lamentablement raté son examen de conduite. (He lamentably failed his driving test.)
• La situation s'est lamentablement dégradée en quelques mois. (The situation lamentably deteriorated in a few months.)

The 'poorly' (in terms of quality or means) – pauvrement

The French adverb pauvrement directly translates to 'poorly' or 'meagerly.' It is derived from the adjective pauvre (poor) and signifies a lack of resources, quality, or adequate means.

While mal generally means 'badly' or 'wrongly,' pauvrement carries a specific nuance. It describes an action or state that is insufficient, humble, or done with limited provisions, emphasizing the poverty of means rather than just a bad outcome.

You would use pauvrement to describe something that is made, performed, or exists in a simple, unsophisticated, or resource-constrained way. It highlights the modest or unadorned nature of a situation or object.

💡 * Il vit pauvrement mais honnêtement. (He lives poorly but honestly.)

• Le repas fut pauvrement préparé. (The meal was poorly prepared/meagerly.)
• La pièce était pauvrement meublée. (The room was meagerly furnished.)
• Elle s'habille pauvrement. (She dresses simply/modestly.)
• L'explication était pauvrement détaillée. (The explanation was poorly detailed/lacking detail.)

The 'awry' or 'the wrong way' – de travers

To express 'awry' or 'the wrong way' in French, the go-to phrase is de travers. This versatile expression captures the idea of something being crooked, askew, or simply not right, whether physically or figuratively.

The word travers on its own can mean 'across' or 'through.' When prefixed with de, de travers literally suggests 'from across' or 'in a crosswise manner,' leading to its meaning of 'crooked,' 'askew,' or 'the wrong way.' It's used widely to describe things that are physically misplaced or situations that have gone wrong.

Beyond simple descriptions, de travers is frequently found in idiomatic expressions that convey specific nuances of 'wrongness' or 'misunderstanding':* Regarder de travers: To look at someone askance or glare at them.* Prendre quelque chose de travers: To take something the wrong way, to misunderstand or misinterpret.* Mettre de travers: To put something on crookedly, or figuratively, to upset someone.

You can use de travers to describe a physical object, like a picture hanging crookedly (un tableau accroché de travers), or to describe an abstract situation, like a plan that went wrong (un plan qui a tourné de travers). This flexibility makes it an essential phrase for learners.

💡 * Mon chapeau était mis de travers. (My hat was on crookedly.)

• Il a pris ma blague de travers. (He took my joke the wrong way.)
• Tout est allé de travers aujourd'hui. (Everything went awry today.)
• Pourquoi tu me regardes de travers? (Why are you looking at me askance/glaring at me?)
• La chaise est un peu de travers. (The chair is a bit crooked.)

Are there other ways to say 'badly' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'badly' in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say 'badly' in French, covering various contexts from performance to quality. However, the French language, like any other, is rich with nuances. You might encounter older expressions, regionalisms, or even emerging slang that also convey a similar idea.

To delve deeper into regional or less common expressions, you can do an online search for 'comment dire mal en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region. This can reveal fascinating linguistic variations.

As you explore these terms, always make sure to check a word's precise definition and try to see it used in context. This will help you understand its connotations and appropriate usage, avoiding miscommunication.

Pay close attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French. You may discover different ways to express 'badly' or 'poorly' in various situations, adding richness to your vocabulary.

For comprehensive definitions and examples of how 'mal' and related adverbs are used, the WordReference entry for 'mal' is an excellent resource. It often provides synonyms and contextual usage.

I hope you found this article helpful in navigating the nuances of 'badly' in French. As a wise proverb says: Ce qui est fait sans plaisir est fait mal. (What is done without pleasure is done badly.)