Which one should you use?
The form Los extraño is used if the group you are addressing is all male or a mixed-gender group. However, if the group is exclusively female, you should use Las extraño instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The verb extrañar is the standard way to express "to miss" in Latin American Spanish, while in Spain, the phrase echar de menos is more common. In Argentina, you might say Los extraño, che by using the local slang che or you might say Los re extraño, chicos/as.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase Los extraño, the direct object pronoun los refers to the group of people being missed. When addressing a group directly at the end of a sentence (the vocative), it is common in Spanish to use a comma before the name or group title, as seen in Los extraño, chicos.
Did you know?
- The word extraño is a cognate of the English word 'strange'. Both come from the Latin word extrāneus, which refers to something from the outside.
- The word extraño can be both a verb and an adjective. If you say Soy extraño, you are not saying you miss someone, but that you are 'strange'.
- Argentines often add the word re before extraño to intensify the emotion. This turns 'I miss you' into 'I really, really miss you'.
Examples in context
- Los echo de menos, amigos. ¡Tenemos que reunirnos pronto!I miss you guys, friends. We need to get together soon!
- Los extraño, che. Les mando un abrazo desde ArgentinaI miss you guys, dudes. Sending you a big hug from Argentina
- Los extraño, chicos, mucho.I miss you guys a lot.
- Los extraño, chicos, desde que se fueron.I miss you guys since you left.
- ¡Los extraño, chicos! Vuelvan pronto.I miss you guys! Come back soon.
Example conversation
Mateo is calling Elena and their friends on a video call.
- MateoHola a todos. Los extraño, chicos.Hello everyone. I miss you guys.
- Elena¡Nosotros también te extrañamos, Mateo!We miss you too, Mateo!
- Mateo¿Cuándo nos vamos a ver?When are we going to see each other?
- ElenaMuy pronto, te lo prometo.Very soon, I promise you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries extraño, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
