Bonjour William, Perhaps this will help some. it shows another way of looking at the difference between mauvais and mal. Mauvais Mal adjective bad (with noun) bad (with copular verb) adverb bad badly noun bad part evil(s) Let's take a look at this sentence: C' est un mode de traitement souvent mal supporté , du fait de la toxicité des médicaments anticancéreux pour les tissus sains. Salomon, Jean-Claude Le tissu déchiré. Propos sur la diversité des cancers Mal in this sentence is an adverbe translated as badley supported. Malade on the other hand, is used either as an adjective or as a noun. Now looking at the lesson, - se sentir bien / mal / mieux ... (emotional) (literally to feel oneself) It means to feel good / well / fine / bad / better. In this case, bien, mal and mieux are used as adverbes. I hope this helps, Ron