choca esos cinco
/t͡ʃoka esos θinko/from spelling rules
In Spanish, hi five is choca esos cinco.
The phrase is used as an imperative to initiate the gesture, similar to how an English speaker might say 'Give me five!' You may also hear the informal expression chocar las manos, which means 'to bump hands'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'slap those five'. The word choca is the imperative form of chocar (to collide/slap) and cinco refers to the five fingers.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form choca uses the informal imperative (tú) command, making it suitable for friends or peers. If you are addressing a group of people to give them a high five, you should use the plural imperative choquen instead of choca.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃoka esos θinko/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the verb chocar is used so frequently in casual slang that it can also mean 'to be annoying' or 'to bother someone' in a completely different context.
- While English uses 'high' to describe the position of the hand, Spanish uses chocar, which refers to a collision or a car crash.
- In Spain, it is common to see the gesture combined with ¡Toma!, an exclamation used to emphasize a victory or a successful point.
Examples in context
- Después de ganar el partido, los jugadores suelen chocar las manos como celebración.After winning the game, players often bump hands as a celebration.
- ¡Choca esos cinco, lo lograste!High five, you did it!
- Dame la mano y choca esos cinco.Give me your hand and high five me.
Example conversation
Daniel and María just finished a difficult project together.
- Daniel¡Lo logramos, María!We did it, María!
- MaríaSí, fue un gran trabajo.Yes, it was a great job.
- Daniel¡Choca esos cinco!High five!
- María¡Eso es!That's it!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
