This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. Spanish to English
  3. Poetry & Literature

Mala leche

English translation: bad-tempered/has foul temper

19:29 Apr 28, 2008
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Literature
Spanish term or phrase: Mala leche
Busco una expresión lo más cercana posible a mala leche.
Seguramente mala leche debe tener diferentes significados en diferentes regiones donde se habla español. Lo que yo quiero expresar es algo asi como "mala onda" (o mala leche) en inglés. Algo asi como malos sentimientos
Lucas
English translation:bad-tempered/has foul temper
Explanation:
In Spain, "mala leche" has nothing to do with luck. It means someone is very bad tempered. I don't know if it has a different meaning in other Spanish speaking countries.
Selected response from:

María T. Vargas
Spain
Local time: 02:56
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +6bad-tempered/has foul temper
María T. Vargas
5 +2spite
Jack Fleming
4 +3be in a bad mood(Spain)
Vladimir Martinez
4 +2evil-minded/ malicious
Claudia Pesce
3 +2sour grapes
Victoria Porter-Burns
3 +2to have bad luck
Jairo Payan
3 +2rotten apple
Remy Arce
5Party pooper / killjoy
Carla_am
3 +1Bad luck/hard luck/misfortue/mischance/hoodoo
Gad Kohenov
3 +1bad news
schevallier
4to be a killjoy/a wet blanket
eloso (X)
4bad blood
Robert West
4Bad Luck / Bad tempered person
Susan McGarvie


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
sour grapes


Explanation:
Is this possibly what you're looking for? Where a situation is or has become bitter (sour)?

Victoria Porter-Burns
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sarah Weston: perfect!
3 mins
  -> Thanks, sarah
agree  Ximena Correa: Me parece lo más correcto
19 mins
  -> Gracias, Ximena
neutral  Gary Smith Lawson: mala uva, que se dice también en español, es cuando uno dice no querer lo que no puede conseguir (proviene de las fábulas de Esopo).
52 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Bad luck/hard luck/misfortue/mischance/hoodoo


Explanation:
Algunas opciones.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2008-04-28 19:41:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

*Misfortune*

Gad Kohenov
Israel
Local time: 03:56
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in HebrewHebrew

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Christian [email protected]: In Venezuela = bad luck
1 day 2 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
to have bad luck


Explanation:
Si se considera como un verbo.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mala Leche
Mala Leche

To have bad luck, or for things to be going wrong all the time. (mala leche)word is mostly use within the central and south american communities.
verga que mala leche.
que leche tan mala tiene ese cabron!

Jairo Payan
Colombia
Local time: 19:56
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 11

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ricardo Falconi: Coincido
5 mins
  -> Mil gracias Ricardo
agree  Christian [email protected]
1 day 2 hrs
  -> Thanks Christian
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
spite


Explanation:
Spite is a malicious desire to see others suffer, usually motivated by envy or revenge. To say 'Que mal leche tienes' is to accuse someone of being spiteful.

Example sentence(s):
  • He did that out of pure spite.
Jack Fleming
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Edward Tully: the least likely synonym of "mala onda" - sorry, sarcasm is not an excuse for ignorance! "que no tengas mala leche"!
16 mins
  -> 'Spite' is a correct translation of at least one sense (if not all senses) of 'mala leche'. I see only one reason to disagree with my translation: mala leche
agree  JoLuGo: spiteful: malévolo, malicioso, maligno, malo, rencoroso, resentido, contrariado,malhumorado, malintencionado -> Mala leche
1 hr
agree  Anne Smith Campbell: Una persona que tiene mala leche referido a los malos sentimientos entre otras definiciones. A spiteful, nasty person. Completely agree, no doubt.
5 hrs
neutral  Gary Smith Lawson: I agree there are situations where this would apply perfectly, but not all. Spite refers to a vengeful feeling, of being hard-done by.
10 hrs
agree  Raquel Dominguez: I have always heard the expression in the sense you suggest, a deep-seated rancour. Not at all "mala onda" which is lighter.
1 day 5 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +6
bad-tempered/has foul temper


Explanation:
In Spain, "mala leche" has nothing to do with luck. It means someone is very bad tempered. I don't know if it has a different meaning in other Spanish speaking countries.

María T. Vargas
Spain
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Edward Tully: the most likely, without more context...
12 mins
  -> Thanks, Edward
agree  PhilippID
39 mins
  -> Thanks, colleague
agree  JPW (X)
1 hr
  -> Thanks, John Paul
agree  John Cutler: It's the way I too understand its use here in Spain.
10 hrs
  -> Thanks, Joh. Without more context I cannot venture another meaning
agree  Gary Smith Lawson: Heheh, I seem to be agreeing with everything. I can't deny this definition is o.k, but I must say I like the way Remy has maintained the metaphor of food going off.
10 hrs
  -> Thanks, Gary but more context would be needed for a better translation
agree  axies
3 days 9 hrs
  -> Thanks, Manuel
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
rotten apple


Explanation:
another popular expression

Remy Arce
United States
Local time: 20:56
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 25

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gary Smith Lawson: To be a bad apple, which can make others rotten when in contact, I think is a good reflection of simple "mala leche".
26 mins
  -> Thanks Gary
agree  Vladimir Martinez: go Remy go!
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Vladimir
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

32 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
bad news


Explanation:
sugerencia

schevallier
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gary Smith Lawson: A bit too general perhaps, but I like this one too. As in "this guy is bad news"
29 mins
  -> exactly what I meant, thanks Gary!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
evil-minded/ malicious


Explanation:
"Tener mala leche" puede significar no tener suerte o también referirse a una persona mal intencionada, "mala onda" como dice Lucas. Suerte :D

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 33 mins (2008-04-28 20:02:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Si querés una expresión lo que más se aproxima, a mi criterio, es "someone who sends outs a bad/negative vibe".

Claudia Pesce
Argentina
Local time: 21:56
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Anne Smith Campbell: I also agree with these two options completely.
5 hrs
  -> Thanks, Anne :D
agree  Gabriel Bustos
20 hrs
  -> Mil gracias, Gabriel :D
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to be a killjoy/a wet blanket


Explanation:
"Mala onda" en el sentido de amargar a los demás.

eloso (X)
Argentina
Local time: 21:56
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in SpanishSpanish
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
be in a bad mood(Spain)


Language variant: bad sense of humour

Explanation:
bad tempered.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-04-28 22:20:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also "cabreado"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-04-28 22:22:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also agree with Remy:rotten apple as a way to be in a bad mood and to bring the others into your situation!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs (2008-04-29 09:36:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Lisa...if you translate the term "Sentido del humor" into castillian Spanish of course it doesn´t mean the same,I do agree with you,but in Spain according to the way they speak and show states of mind it´s usual to say "que mal sentido del humor tiene",what means"que mala leche".Being in a bad mood!.

Vladimir Martinez
Spain
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Lisa McCarthy: Bad sense of humour has nothing to do with being in a bad mood. Sense of humour is `sentido de humor'. You´re missing my point - why did you put ´bad sense of humour´?
7 mins
  -> In Spain wherever you go being "de mala leche" means to be in a bad mood,not being for joking or kidding,also is a state of "bad humour",to be annoyed,bothered,tiredsome.ThankZ!
agree  Robert Feuerlein: Mala leche. Eso es. "Be in a bad mood". Saludos
1 hr
  -> Thanks Rob.SaludoZ!
agree  John Cutler
8 hrs
  -> Thanks John!
agree  Gary Smith Lawson: See my comment for María Vargas; the same applies.
9 hrs
  -> thankZ Gary!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
bad blood


Explanation:
Sorry to spoil you for choice but this expression might be what you're after.
It refers to hostile feelings between people.

"There's bad blood between them"

Robert West
Spain
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Bad Luck / Bad tempered person


Language variant: Argentinian vulgarism

Explanation:
When referred to a situation or fact it means bad luck, when referred to a person or something done by a person it mean bad intentions o bad tempered.

Example sentence(s):
  • María tenía tanta mala leche que salió a la calle y un colectivo le salpicó su ropa nueva con barro.
  • Era tan mala lecha la profesora que sacaba las preguntas de las pruebas de un libro distinto al que usaban los alumnos
Susan McGarvie
Local time: 21:56
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 days 21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Party pooper / killjoy


Explanation:
killjoy: a person who spoils the joy or pleasure of others; spoilsport.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/killjoy



Carla_am
Argentina
Local time: 21:56
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search