What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of adiós (goodbye) and chicos (guys/boys/children).
Which one should you use?
In many Spanish-speaking countries, you may hear chao chicos as a very common and even more colloquial alternative to adiós chicos.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
adiós chicos is informal and is best used among friends, peers or in casual settings. For more formal or semi-formal situations when addressing a group of males or mixed genders, you might say Hasta luego, señores.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain parts of Latin America, you may hear adiós, compadres or hasta pronto, gente used as ways to say "bye guys". Additionally, Chau, muchachos/muchachas is a colloquial way to say "bye, guys/girls", especially in South America.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the group consists entirely of females, you should use the feminine form adiós chicas instead of adiós chicos. While chicos can be used for mixed groups, you can also explicitly include everyone by saying adiós chicos y chicas.
When do people say it?
In Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to embrace or kiss on the cheek when saying goodbye to friends or family.
Did you know?
- The word adiós is actually a contraction of two words, 'a' and 'Dios', meaning 'to God'.
- The common informal alternative chao is a phonetic adaptation of the Italian word 'ciao', which has been widely adopted across Latin America.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the greeting adiós can sound much more permanent than the English 'bye', sometimes implying you might not see the person again for a long time.
Examples in context
- Adiós chicos, nos vemos mañana.Bye guys, see you tomorrow.
- ¡Adiós chicos! Que tengan un buen fin de semana.Bye guys! Have a good weekend.
- Ya me voy, adiós chicos.I'm leaving now, bye guys.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are leaving a group of friends at a cafe.
- LucíaBueno, ya es tarde. Adiós chicos.Well, it's late. Bye guys.
- Mateo¡Adiós, Lucía! Cuídate mucho.Bye, Lucía! Take care.
- LucíaGracias, Mateo. Hasta la próxima.Thanks, Mateo. Until next time.
- MateoNos vemos pronto.See you soon.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries adiós, CC BY-SA 4.0.
