Are you trying to get your friends attention and don’t know quite what to say? Perhaps someone is on the other side of the room and you need to speak with them? Are you trying to make sure the person you’re talking to is listening?
Throwing in an “oye” somewhere in that sentence will likely ensure that you have your audience’s attention.
This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
When translated into English, the term “oye” simply means “listen”. It is the same thing as asking someone “are you listening?” or saying something like “hey” to get someone’s attention.
A person may say “oye” to command whoever they are talking to to listen, or to be sure that they are listening in the first place.
Another explanation of “oyo” is “hey you!” The phrase simply means to pay attention or to give attention to the speaker.
Though not as common, in some contexts, the phrase can be used to agree with someone, the same as saying “period” or “periodt” when you are emphasizing that you agree with what someone is saying. This term is usually informal, and can be used between two people of the same age having a conversation, or a parent telling their child to listen, or even a boss trying to get their employees to pay attention.
It may be used over text, but is typically used when talking to a person face-to-face.
Example Usage
“Oye, I just got my first job!”
“Oye, I have something important to tell you”.
“John I’m talking to you, oye, are you even listening?”
“Oye! Come over here”.
“Are you sure that’s what you want? Oye, I thought so”.
“Come listen to this song. Oye!”
Origin
The phrase “oye” is a Spanish term that means “listen”. The word has been around as long as the Spanish language has existed. Over time, the phrase has worked its way into modern culture, specifically in the UK. It is use more as a form of slang in which others call attention to one another or to an event.
It has worked its way into English slang and even people that may not know many other terms in Spanish know what “oye” means. Musical artists have even made songs using the term, either in the title or the lyrics, such as Gloria Estefan who released a song titled “Oye” in 2009.
Phrases Similar to Oye
- Listen!
- Hey!
- “Oy” (another slang term that also means “hey!”, as in, demanding attention)
Phrases Opposite to Oye
- Ignore.
- Shut up.
- Goodbye/adios/etc.
What is the Correct Saying?
- “Oye”- “listen”
Ways People May Incorrectly Say Oye
The term “oye” is used when you want someone’s attention, or when you want them to listen to you. Any instance in which the term is used for something opposite of this is an example of how the phrase can be used incorrectly. If you are trying to get someone to leave you alone, you would not say “oye”.
An example of this would be, “oye! Go away”. Though you may be using the term to emphasize how much you want that person to go away, this is not a typical use of the term and may be one way that it can be used incorrectly.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Oye
- If you are trying to get someone’s attention to tell them something, you may say, “I have to tell you something. Oye!”. You could also say something along the lines of, “oye, I’m about to tell you the instructions”.
- If you want to use the phrase in an exasperated way, you may use it in place of the word “hey!”. So instead of saying, “hey! Give that back!” you would say, “oye! Give that back!”.
- If you want someone to listen to something like a song, you may simply say, “oye, I want to show you this song”.