As an adjective:
* malo/mala: This is the most common translation for "mean" when referring to someone's personality, meaning cruel, unkind, or nasty.
* Example: "El niño es muy malo." (The child is very mean.)
* promedio: This means "average" or "mean" in the mathematical sense.
* Example: "La calificación promedio es un 8." (The average grade is an 8.)
* significado: This means "meaning" or "significance."
* Example: "¿Cuál es el significado de esta palabra?" (What is the meaning of this word?)
As a verb:
* significar: This means "to mean" in the sense of expressing something.
* Example: "Esto significa que no puedo ir." (This means I can't go.)
* querer decir: This also means "to mean" in the sense of expressing something, but it is a more formal phrase.
* Example: "¿Qué quieres decir con eso?" (What do you mean by that?)
Other meanings:
* medio: This means "half" or "middle" and can also be used to express "mean" in the sense of "average."
* intermedio: This means "intermediate" or "average."
To help determine the correct translation, it is important to consider the context of the sentence.