¡Hola, chicos!
The English phrase "hi, guys!" is translated into Spanish as ¡Hola, chicos!
The phrase ¡Hola, chicos/as! translates to "Hi, guys/girls!" You can also use the informal phrase ¡Qué tal, gente! to mean "What's up, people!"
Which one should you use?
You can use ¡Hola, muchachos! as a synonym to say "hi, guys/kids!" Depending on the region, muchachos may carry a slightly more colloquial or even a slightly older connotation.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are addressing a group consisting only of females, you must change the masculine chicos to the feminine chicas to say "hi, girls!" While chicos is grammatically used for mixed-gender groups, using both chicos y chicas is a common way to be explicitly inclusive of all genders in a group.
Did you know?
- The word hola may have originated as a command to stop or a way to hail a ferryman, much like the French holà.
- While chicos is used for mixed groups, some modern speakers use the -e ending in chiques to be gender-neutral.
- In many parts of Latin America, you might hear ¡Hola, plebes! instead of ¡Hola, chicos! when greeting a group of friends.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola, chicos! ¿Cómo están hoy?Hi, guys! How are you today?
- ¡Qué tal, gente! ¿Listos para salir a disfrutar del día?What's up, people! Ready to go out and enjoy the day?
- ¡Hola a todos! ¿Alguien quiere jugar al fútbol después?Hi, guys! Does anyone want to play soccer later?
- ¡Hola, chicos! ¿Cómo están?Hi, guys! How are you?
- ¡Hola, chicos! Llegamos tarde.Hi, guys! We are late.
- ¡Hola, chicos! Bienvenidos a la fiesta.Hi, guys! Welcome to the party.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel arrive at a small gathering of friends.
- Lucía¡Hola, chicos! ¿Qué tal todo?Hi, guys! How is everything?
- Daniel¡Hola, Lucía! Todo bien, gracias.Hi, Lucía! Everything is good, thanks.
- LucíaDaniel, ¿trajiste la comida?Daniel, did you bring the food?
- DanielSí, la tengo en el coche.Yes, I have it in the car.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
