niño inteligente
/niɲo intelixente/from spelling rules
The English phrase smart boy is translated into Spanish as niño inteligente.
The most straightforward translation of smart boy is Chico inteligente. You can also use Niño listo as a synonym for inteligente, especially when referring to younger boys.
Which one should you use?
While inteligente is a standard way to say smart, the word listo is a very common alternative that can also imply being 'street smart' or 'quick-witted'. For a more colloquial feel, you can use Chico avispado to describe a smart cookie.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the phrase to refer to a girl, change the noun niño to the feminine niña, resulting in niña inteligente. To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must take the plural ending '-s' to become niños inteligentes. To say 'a smart boy', add the indefinite article un before the noun to get un niño inteligente.
Did you know?
- The colloquial term avispado comes from the word avispa, which means 'wasp'. Calling a boy 'smart' this way literally describes him as being 'wasp-like' in his alertness.
- Using listo to call a boy 'smart' can be risky because it also means 'ready'. Depending on the context, saying está listo means he is prepared, while es listo means he is clever.
- The word niño likely comes from Vulgar Latin imitations of baby talk. This means it shares a similar origin to English words like 'nanny' and 'nana'.
Examples in context
- Ese chico es muy inteligenteThat boy is very smart
- El joven de la clase es muy inteligenteThe young boy in the class is very smart
- Ese chico es un avispadoThat boy is a smart cookie
- Mi sobrino es un chico inteligente. Siempre saca buenas notas en la escuela.My nephew is a smart boy. He always gets good grades at school.
- Ese niño es avispado. Siempre encuentra soluciones creativas a los problemas.That boy is clever. He always finds creative solutions to problems.
- El joven de esta película es astuto y siempre logra salir de situaciones difíciles.The young boy in this movie is smart and always manages to get out of tough situations.
- Él es un niño inteligente.He is a smart boy.
- Ese niño inteligente ganó el premio.That smart boy won the prize.
- Mi hijo es un niño inteligente.My son is a smart boy.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are looking at a young boy playing with complex puzzles.
- ElenaMira a ese niño inteligente.Look at that smart boy.
- JavierSí, es muy hábil.Yes, he is very skillful.
- ElenaJavier, ¿viste lo rápido que aprende?Javier, did you see how fast he learns?
- JavierEs un niño inteligente, definitivamente.He is a smart boy, definitely.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries inteligente, niño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
