adiós Madrid, que te quedas sin gente

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “goodbye Madrid, may you end up without people". More loosely translated, it could be "goodbye Madrid, I hope everyone leaves”. The exact origin of the phrase is not clear, but it seems to be from a story of a peddler who went to Madrid to make a fortune. Upon failing this, he uttered this phrase sadly while leaving the city.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˌdjos maˌdɾid | ke te ˌkedas ˌsin ˈxente/ [aˌð̞joz maˌð̞ɾið̞ | ke t̪e ˌke.ð̞as ˌsĩŋ ˈxẽn̪.t̪e]
• Syllabification: a‧diós Ma‧drid, que te que‧das sin gen‧te

• IPA^(key): /aˌdjos maˈdɾi/ [aˌð̞joz maˈð̞ɾi] (locally and in southern Spain)
• IPA^(key): (Spain) /aˌdjos maˈdɾiθ/ [aˌð̞joz maˈð̞ɾiθ] (locally and in northern Spain except Catalan-speaking areas; nonstandard)

Phrase

adiós Madrid, que te quedas sin gente

1. (idiomatic) good riddance (Used to indicate that a departure, or loss is welcome.)

Further reading

• “adiós Madrid, que te quedas sin gente”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28