French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "mal" in French?

mahl — one syllable, an open "ah", and a light "l" that is fully pronounced.

mal /mal/

One syllable. The word works as an adverb (badly) and as a noun (pain, harm), and the pronunciation never changes — "j'ai mal" means "I'm in pain".

Listen: mal

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Sound it out

ma An "m" plus a short open "ah".

l A light, forward "l". Final "l" is one of the consonants French keeps, and it stays bright rather than becoming the dark English "l" of "pal".

Hear it in a sentence

J'ai mal dormi.

I slept badly.

Listen: J'ai mal dormi.

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"J'ai mal dormi" is the passé composé with the adverb slotted between the auxiliary and the participle, which is where short adverbs go — you cannot say "j'ai dormi mal". "Dormi" is the past participle, dropping the infinitive's "r" and ending in a bare "ee": dor-MEE. Compare "j'ai mal à la tête", where "mal" is a noun meaning pain.

Where English speakers slip

The English "mall" and "pal" both give a dark, back-of-the-mouth "l" that French never uses. Keep the tongue tip forward on the ridge behind the upper teeth. The vowel should also be open "ah", not the flat "a" of "cat". And the word-order point matters: putting "mal" after the participle is a very audible learner error.