How to Say “Smart Girl” in Spanish

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chica inteligente
/t͡ʃika intelixente/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "smart girl" is translated as chica inteligente.
The phrase is used to describe a girl or young woman who possesses a high level of intelligence or mental ability. While chica inteligente is a common way to express this, other variations exist depending on the specific age of the person or the region where you are speaking.

Which one should you use?

The adjective inteligente refers to general mental ability. If you want to describe someone as being quick-witted or "street smart," you might use the word lista instead.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

If you are referring specifically to a young child rather than a teenager or a young woman, it is more common and neutral to use niña inteligente.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Argentina and certain other parts of Latin America, you may encounter the regional equivalents piba inteligente or mina inteligente to mean "smart girl". Additionally, the phrase muchacha inteligente is generally used in Latin America to mean "intelligent girl".

How does it change in a sentence?

In Spanish, the adjective inteligente follows the noun chica. To form the plural "smart girls", both the noun and the adjective must take the plural suffix -s, resulting in chicas inteligentes.

Did you know?

  • The word lista can also mean 'ready' in Spanish, meaning una chica lista could be interpreted as a girl who is prepared rather than intelligent.
  • In Argentina, the word mina used in mina inteligente is a slang term for a woman that originally referred to a 'mine' or 'quarry' in Lunfardo dialect.
  • While inteligente is a direct cognate of the English 'intelligent', using the word lista to mean 'smart' can be risky. In certain contexts, calling someone una lista can imply they are being 'clever' in a dishonest or manipulative way.

Examples in context

  • Ella es una chica inteligente.
    She's a smart girl.
    This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase chica inteligente.
    Tatoeba #1686399 by Shishir, translation #1676723 by Spamster
  • Eres una chica inteligente. Estoy impresionado/a
    You are a smart girl, I'm impressed
  • La señorita inteligente obtuvo las mejores calificaciones
    The smart young lady got the best grades
  • Ella es una chica lista. Siempre tiene las respuestas correctas
    She is a smart girl, she always has the right answers
  • ¡Eres tan lista! ¡Todo el mundo admira a la niña inteligente!
    You are so smart! Everyone admires the smart girl!
  • La muchacha inteligente ganó el concurso de matemáticas
    The intelligent girl won the math contest
  • Mi hermana es una chica inteligente.
    My sister is a smart girl.
  • Es una chica inteligente y muy trabajadora.
    She is a smart girl and very hardworking.

Example conversation

Mateo and María are talking about a classmate in a café.

  1. Mateo

    ¿Conoces a Lucía?
    Do you know Lucía?
  2. María

    Sí, es una chica inteligente.
    Yes, she is a smart girl.
  3. Mateo

    Ella siempre saca buenas notas.
    She always gets good grades.
  4. María

    Es verdad, estudia mucho.
    It's true, she studies a lot.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
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Lloyd Russell
Lloyd RussellHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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