¡hola, chicos!
The English phrase "hello, guys!" is translated into Spanish as ¡hola, chicos!
¡hola, chicos! is an informal greeting used to address a group of people. Other ways to greet a group include Hola a todos for "Hello, everyone.", Buenos días a todos for "Good morning, everyone.", and Buenas tardes a todos for "Good afternoon, everyone.". If you want to say "Nice to see all of you", you can use Qué gusto verlos.
Which one should you use?
While ¡hola, chicos! is a common way to say "hello, guys!", it is more informal and can sometimes sound slightly more juvenile than the more neutral ¡Hola a todos! (hello to everyone).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the phrase Hola gente is used to say "Hello, guys!"
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes based on the gender of the group. If the group consists entirely of females, you should change the masculine chicos to the feminine chicas to say ¡hola, chicas! (hello, girls!). You can also specifically address a mixed group by saying Hola chicos y chicas (hello, guys and girls!).
Did you know?
- Some linguists have explored a possible link between hola and the Arabic phrase wal-lāh, meaning 'by God!', though evidence is thin.
- In a mixed-gender group, the masculine form chicos is used as a collective, even if there are many women and only one man.
- In Spain, chicos is frequently used to address a group of adults in social settings, whereas in some Latin American countries, it may sound more childlike.
Examples in context
- Hola chicos, ¿cómo han estado desde la última vez que nos vimos?Hello, guys, how have you all been since the last time we saw each other?
- ¡Hola, chicos! ¿Cómo están?Hello, guys! How are you?
- ¡Hola, chicos! ¿Qué tal?Hello, guys! What's up?
Example conversation
Javier arrives at a cafe to meet Sofía and some friends.
- Javier¡Hola, chicos!Hello, guys!
- Sofía¡Hola, Javier! Qué bueno verte.Hello, Javier! It is good to see you.
- Javier¿Están listos para comer?Are you all ready to eat?
- SofíaSí, tenemos mucha hambre.Yes, we are very hungry.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
