chica bonita
/t͡ʃika bonita/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for "pretty girl" is chica bonita.
The phrase is used to describe a girl or young woman who is attractive or pleasing to look at.
Which one should you use?
While chica bonita is a common way to say pretty girl, you may also encounter chica guapa, which is often used to imply a higher level of physical attractiveness or "good looks".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective bonita must agree in gender with the feminine noun chica.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃika bonita/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word guapo originally referred to someone who was bold, daring or even a bit of a street fighter, long before it meant 'attractive'.
- While guapa usually means 'pretty', in Spain it is often used as a casual, friendly greeting among women, such as ¡Hola, guapa!, regardless of whether they are flirting.
- The word bonita comes from the root bono, which is related to the English word 'bonus' through the Latin 'bonus' meaning 'good'.
Examples in context
- Layla es una chica bonita.Layla is a pretty girl.This example shows how to use chica bonita to describe a person.Tatoeba #7122493 by AmarMecheri, translation #7121009 by OsoHombre
- ¡Hola señorita hermosa! ¿Quieres acompañarme a cenar?Hello beautiful young lady! Would you like to join me for dinner?
- ¡Eres una chica bonita y simpática!You are a pretty and nice girl!
- Esa chica bonita es mi prima.That pretty girl is my cousin.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are looking at a photo in a magazine.
- Alejandro¿Viste a la chica bonita de la foto?Did you see the pretty girl in the photo?
- SofíaSí, ella es muy elegante.Yes, she is very elegant.
- AlejandroEs una chica bonita, de verdad.She is a pretty girl, truly.
- SofíaTienes razón, Alejandro.You are right, Alejandro.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
