What does ‘hasta la vista’ mean? Boris Johnson comment explained, meaning in English, who originally said it

At the time of his stepping down, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared ‘mission largely accomplished, for now’ in his closing statement during his last PMQs
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Back in July, then-outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed off his final Prime Minister’s Questions by telling MPs that the “last few years have been the greatest privilege of my life” before stating: “Hasta la vista.”

At the time, Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss after she beat out Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership race - however, after just 44 days in office, Truss has issued her own resignation outside Downing Street.

Could we see Johnson make a comeback as Prime Minister?

What did Boris Johnson say in his final PMQs?

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On Wednesday 20 July, Johnson embarked on his last Prime Minister’s Questions, in which he received a standing ovation from the Conservative benches after concluding his final remarks.

Addressing MPs from the despatch box, Johnson said in his final answer: “I want to use the last few seconds to give some words of advice to my successor, whoever he or she may be.

“Number one, stay close to the Americans, stick up for the Ukrainians, stick up for freedom and democracy everywhere.

Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons  (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons  (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

“Cut taxes and de-regulation wherever you can and make this the greatest place to live and invest, which it is.

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“I love the Treasury but remember that if we’d always listened to the Treasury we wouldn’t have built the M25 or the Channel Tunnel.

“Focus on the road ahead, but always remember to check the rear-view mirror.

“And remember above all it’s not Twitter that counts, it’s the people who sent us here.”

He added: “The last few years have been the greatest privilege of my life, and it’s true that I helped to get the biggest Tory majority for 40 years and a huge realignment in UK politics.

Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday 20 July, 2022. (Photo: UK Parliament/Andy Bailey/PA) Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday 20 July, 2022. (Photo: UK Parliament/Andy Bailey/PA)
Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday 20 July, 2022. (Photo: UK Parliament/Andy Bailey/PA)
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“We’ve transformed our democracy and restored our national independence.

“I’ve helped to get this country through a pandemic and helped save another country from barbarism, and frankly that’s enough to be going on with.

“Mission largely accomplished, for now.”

Johnson signed off by stating: “I want to thank everybody here, and hasta la vista, baby.”

As he left the chamber, Johnson received pats on the back from loyalist MPs.

What does ‘hasta la vista’ mean - where does it come from?

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“Hasta la vista” is a Spanish term which translates literally to “until the view”, but is better known to mean “see you later” or “until next time” in English.

The phrase is perhaps best known as the catchphrase of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (Total Recall, Predator) Terminator in the 1991 sequel Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

John Connor teaches the Terminator how to use slang, which is how the phrase comes about (Photo: TriStar Pictures)John Connor teaches the Terminator how to use slang, which is how the phrase comes about (Photo: TriStar Pictures)
John Connor teaches the Terminator how to use slang, which is how the phrase comes about (Photo: TriStar Pictures)

It first crops up in the film when John Connor (played by Edward Furlong) is teaching the Terminator how to use slang, adding in “baby” at the end.

Later on in the film, after the Terminator defeats the ruthless T-1000 that has been hunting down the cyborg and John Connor with the gunshot, he utters the famous line: “Hasta la vista, baby.”

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Since its inclusion in Terminator 2, the quote has gone on to become an iconic quote in the film industry.

It was voted number 76 in the American Film Institute’s 100 greatest movie quotes of all time, up there alongside “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown” from Chinatown (1974), “No wire hangers, ever!” from Mommie Dearest (1981) and “I feel the need - the need for speed!” from Top Gun (1986).

Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800 Terminator (Photo: TriStar Pictures)Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800 Terminator (Photo: TriStar Pictures)
Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800 Terminator (Photo: TriStar Pictures)

According to a featurette that accompanied the 2017 3D re-release of Terminator 2, co-writer William Wisher revealed that the phrase made it into the film because it was something that he and director James Cameron used to say to each other all the time.

He said: “[It was something we] used to say to each other when we were talking on the telephone, as we were hanging up… neither one of us ever had any idea that that line would become an iconic piece of dialogue.”

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