Chaval / Chavala
Kid, youngster — and between friends, "man" or "mate".
Hear it in context
Cuando era chaval, veraneaba en el pueblo de mis abuelos.
When I was a kid, I spent summers in my grandparents' village.
¡Qué pasa, chaval! ¿Cómo va todo?
Hey, man! How's everything going?
Los chavales de hoy en día no sueltan el móvil.
Kids these days never put their phones down.
Es una chavala muy espabilada, aprende rapidísimo.
She's a really sharp kid — she learns incredibly fast.
What It Actually Means
Chaval (feminine chavala) is Spain’s everyday word for a kid, teenager, or young person — roughly ages five to twenty-five, stretched generously depending on who’s speaking. It’s warmer and more colloquial than niño or joven, and it’s everywhere: parents, teachers, football commentators (“el chaval tiene un futuro enorme”), and friends greeting each other.
Common Constructions
- De chaval / de chavala — as a kid, back in the day: “De chaval jugaba en la calle.”
- ¡Chaval! — vocative, like “mate” or “dude”: “Chaval, no te lo vas a creer.”
- Un chavalín / una chavalina — the diminutive, for a little kid.
- Estar hecho un chaval — said of an older person who seems young: “Tu abuelo está hecho un chaval.” A genuine compliment.
Common Pitfall
Relative age matters. Calling a twenty-eight-year-old chaval is normal if you’re fifty; from a fellow twenty-something it can sound patronising unless it’s the friendly vocative. As a direct address to strangers it can come across as cocky — keep vocative chaval for people you actually know.
Regional Note
Chaval is Peninsular. The same job is done by chavo in Mexico, pibe in Argentina, and chamo in Venezuela — hearing which one someone uses tells you where they learned their Spanish.