¡oye!
everyday
To get attention, Spanish uses ¡oye!, literally "listen". Casual speakers say ¡ey!, and Argentines and Uruguayans use ¡che!
Meaning: a way to get someone's attention (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| ¡oye! | everyday |
| ¡Ey! | casual |
| ¡Che! | slang, Argentina |
Oye is for tú. To address someone formally, say oiga. Che is a friendly attention word and also works as filler.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
With strangers, disculpe or perdone is more polite than oye.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Che is so typical of Argentina that Che Guevara got his nickname from it.
Did you know?
- Ernesto Guevara was nicknamed el Che because he said che so often.
Examples in context
- ¡Oye, espérame!Hey, wait for me!
- ¡Ey, ven acá!Hey, come here!
- Che, ¿viste el partido?Hey, did you see the game?
Example conversation
Martín calls his friend across a street in Buenos Aires.
- Martín¡Che, Nico!Hey, Nico!
- Nico¡Martín! ¿Cómo andás?Martín! How are you doing?
- MartínBien, vení que te cuento algo.Fine, come here and I will tell you something.
