Have you heard the Spanish expression “menos mal” but you don’t know how to use it properly in Spanish? If so, take a look at the blog below; our Spanish school El Rincón del Tándem is glad to help you understand the meaning of it ?
The Spanish expression “menos mal” is one of the phrases you will probably hear very often.
Grammatically, menos mal is an interjection. Interjections are words or phrases that expresse sudden emotions or feeling.
In Spanish, interjections are usually exclamations; they can stand alone as a sentence or also be placed at the beginning of a sentence. Also, interjections are invariable; that means that they do not change or get modified by other parts of the language.
Besides, these parts of the language are generally very useful conversational tools as they allow us to quickly express feeling and also help us sound like a native when speaking Spanish.
Today we learn how to express relief by juts using to two Spanish words ?
In Spanish, we say “menos mal” to express relief, usually in situations where something bad that was expected to happen hasn’t happened. Also, we can use it to express our satisfaction that something good has happened almost unexpectedly or that something turned out to be better than what we expected to be.
The English equivalents would be:
Thank goodness / Thank god / Thank heaven /What a relief.
Let’s see some examples below:
¡Menos mal que has venido a la reunión! Tu aportación ha sido muy útil
Thank goodness you came to the meeting! Your contribution has been really helpful
Al final no perdí las llaves de casa; estaban en mi bolso. ¡Menos mal!
I did not lose my door keys; it was in my bag. What a relief!
Ana perdió a su perro el domingo pasado, pero hoy lo ha encontrado en el jardín. ¡Menos mal!
Last Sunday Ana lost her dog but today she has found him in the garden, thank god!
If placed at the beginning of a sentences, we can also translate the Spanish “menos mal” into English with the following phrases:
- It’s a good job that
- Just as well
Examples:
Menos mal que estás aquí para ayudarme = It’s a good job that you are here to help me
Menos mal que Lucas salió antes de su casa; había mucho tráfico = Just as well Lucas has left home earlier; the traffic was really bad
NOTE:
As you can see in the above examples, when menos mal introduces a sentence, the verb that follows is always in the indicative mood.
We hope this short explanation of the Spanish expression “menos mal” will make you start use it in Spanish conversation with fluency ?
If you want to known more about Spanish expressions, Spanish words or grammar, do not miss our next posts.
Finally, we remind you that our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, is happy to provide Spanish lessons in a friendly space where you can study the language by having fun!
Have a nice day!
