ay vamos
/ai bamos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "oh come on" can be translated into Spanish as ay vamos.
The phrase ay vamos is used to express disbelief, frustration or to urge someone to stop a certain behavior, much like the English 'oh come on'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American countries, people may use ¡No me jodas! to express disbelief. In some regions of Spain, people may use ¡Anda ya! or ¡Venga hombre! as a variation of ¡Venga ya! to express disbelief. Additionally, ¡Venga ya! is an informal way to say "Oh come on!"
When do people say it?
Depending on the context and region, several other expressions are common. For example, ¡No me digas! is an informal expression used to express surprise or disbelief, while ¡Qué va! is a colloquial expression used to express disbelief or to dismiss something as untrue.
Did you know?
- In Spain, ¡Venga hombre! is used to express disbelief even when the speaker is talking to a woman, as 'hombre' acts as a general exclamation.
- The word vamos comes from the Latin 'vādāmus', which is the ancestor of the modern English word 'evade' through different linguistic paths.
- In Spain, the word venga is used so frequently to urge people along that it can function as a verbal punctuation mark to end a conversation.
Examples in context
- ¡Venga ya! No puedo creer lo que estás diciendo.Oh come on! I can't believe what you're saying.
- ¡Qué va! No es cierto que Pablo se haya casado.Oh come on! It's not true that Pablo got married.
- ¡Por favor! No me digas que olvidaste nuestra cita.Oh come on! Don't tell me you forgot our appointment.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- JavierNo quiero comer pizza otra vez.I don't want to eat pizza again.
- Elena¡Ay vamos! Es nuestra comida favorita.Oh come on! It's our favorite food.
- JavierPero ya la comimos el lunes.But we already ate it on Monday.
- ElenaEntonces busquemos otro restaurante.Then let's look for another restaurant.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ay, vamos, CC BY-SA 4.0.
