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Esto es malo.

Esto es malo.
This is bad.
From Lesson 4:Adjective agreement (-o, -a, -os, -as)·Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of Esto es malo.

ser
to be
esto
this
malo
bad

Questions & Answers about Esto es malo.

Why is the word for "this" esto instead of este or esta?
Esto is a neutral word used for "this" when you are talking about a general situation, an idea, or an unknown object. Because it doesn't refer to a specific masculine or feminine noun, we use this special neutral form.
If esto doesn't have a specific gender, why does the adjective malo have a masculine -o ending?
Spanish adjectives do not have a special neutral ending. When you need to describe a neutral word like esto, the adjective always defaults to the masculine singular form. That is why we use malo rather than the feminine mala.
Why do we use es instead of está here?
We use es (from the verb ser) because we are stating a basic fact about the nature of the situation. Saying esto es malo means the event or idea itself is fundamentally bad.
What is the difference between malo and mal? Could I say esto es mal?
You cannot say esto es mal. Malo is an adjective meaning "bad", which is used to describe nouns and pronouns. Mal is an adverb meaning "badly" or "wrong" and is used to describe actions or temporary states (which is why you will sometimes hear está mal but never es mal).

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