chico de la isla
/t͡ʃiko de la isla/from spelling rules
The English phrase "island boy" is translated into Spanish as chico de la isla.
The phrase refers to a boy or young man who comes from or lives on an island.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of chico (boy), de (of), la (the) and isla (island).
Which one should you use?
You can also use muchacho de la isla to mean the same thing, substituting muchacho for chico.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural to mean "island boys", change chico to chicos to form chicos de la isla.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃiko de la isla/
Did you know?
- The word chico may have been borrowed from the Yucatec Maya word chiʼik.
- While chico de la isla describes someone from any island, people in the Caribbean often use specific local terms like isleño to evoke a stronger sense of cultural identity and belonging.
- Depending on the country, the term muchacho is often preferred over chico for an 'island boy' to imply a slightly older youth or a more rustic, outdoorsy quality.
Examples in context
- El chico isleño que acaba de llegar es muy talentoso.The island boy who just arrived is very talented.
- Ayer conocí a un chico de la isla muy simpático.Yesterday, I met a very friendly island boy.
- Viste a aquel chamo isleño bailando salsa.Did you see that island boy dancing salsa?
- Él es un chico de la isla.He is an island boy.
- Ese chico de la isla es muy amable.That island boy is very kind.
- ¿Conoces a ese chico de la isla?Do you know that island boy?
Example conversation
Daniel and María are talking about a new friend.
- DanielMira, ese es mi amigo, es un chico de la isla.Look, that's my friend, he is an island boy.
- MaríaParece muy simpático, Daniel.He seems very nice, Daniel.
- DanielSí, el chico de la isla conoce todos los secretos.Yes, the island boy knows all the secrets.
- María¡Qué interesante!How interesting!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chico, de, isla, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
