Eres un chico muy inteligente.
You're a very smart boy.
In the hospital a woman encourages a sick teenager and talks to him with tú. Chico fits a teen or a young adult.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "boy" in Spanish
el chico
nounmasculineplural: los chicosfeminine: la chica
"Boy" in Spanish is el chico, the everyday word for a teenager or a young man. A small boy is el niño, and across Latin America you'll also hear el muchacho. For an older man you don't know, switch to el señor.
Hear "chico" in real movie scenes
Praise to his face, pity behind his back. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Pobre chico.
Poor kid.
At military headquarters they find out a young man is heading into danger, and they say this about him, not to him. Pobre in front of chico shows pity.
From Transformers: El lado oscuro de la luna · Spanish audio
Chico, niño, muchacho or hijo?
Age and relationship decide the word.
| Word | Who it describes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el niño | A little boy, a child | El niño tiene cinco años. |
| el chico | A teenager or a young man | un chico de mi clase |
| el muchacho | A boy or young man, common in Latin America | un muchacho simpático |
| el hijo | Someone's son, at any age | Es mi hijo. |
| el señor | A grown man, said politely | ¿Quién es el señor? |
Tip: ¡Hola, chicos! greets a whole group, girls included, because the masculine plural covers everyone.
Grammar: el chico, los chicos
Four things to know before you talk about boys.
Swap the ending
el chico is the boy and la chica the girl. In the plural: los chicos, las chicas.Pobre chico, chico pobre
Before the noun, pobre means unlucky: ¡Pobre chico! After it, it means without money: un chico pobre.Calling out to him
Chico also works as a casual way to address a young guy: ¿Dónde vives, chico? It's informal, so use tú.Where he's from
Use ser de: ¿De dónde es el chico? Es un chico de España.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Es un chico de España.
He's a boy from Spain.
El chico tiene doce años.
The boy is twelve.
El chico y la chica son de Suiza.
The boy and the girl are from Switzerland.
Es un chico de pocas palabras.
He's a guy of few words.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗¿Quién es el chico? (about an elderly man you don't know)
✓¿Quién es el señor?
Chico belongs to young people. For an older stranger, señor is the respectful word.
✗un chico pobre (when you feel sorry for him)
✓un pobre chico
After the noun, pobre says he has no money. Put it first to show sympathy.
✗mi chico (meaning my son)
✓mi hijo
In Spain mi chico usually means my boyfriend. Your son is always mi hijo.
Real conversation: Mr. Gómez is a boy?
A short dialog at the front door of your building.
You're standing at the door of your apartment building with your young neighbor when Alba, an elderly woman, walks up to you both.
¡Buenos días! ¿El señor Gómez?
Good morning! I'm looking for Mr. Gómez.
¡Buenos días, señora! Es él.
Good morning, ma'am! That's him.
¿Él? ¡Pero es un chico!
Him? But he's just a boy!
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 28 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Chico sounds like cheeky with an o at the end. Picture a cheeky boy grinning at you from the back of the class.
Questions about "boy" in Spanish
How do you say boy in Spanish?
El chico for a teenager or young man, el niño for a little boy. More than one is los chicos.
What's the difference between chico and niño?
Niño is a young child. Chico covers teenagers and young men, a bit like "guy" or "kid" in English.
How do you say "little boy" in Spanish?
El niño, or el niño pequeño to stress his age. With affection, people say el niñito.
How do you say boys in Spanish?
Los chicos. The same word covers a mixed group of boys and girls.
