Are you trying to get your friends attention and don\u2019t 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\u2019re talking to is listening?<\/p>\n
Throwing in an \u201coye\u201d somewhere in that sentence will likely ensure that you have your audience\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n
This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n
When translated into English, the term \u201coye\u201d simply means \u201clisten\u201d. It is the same thing as asking someone \u201care you listening?\u201d or saying something like \u201chey\u201d to get someone\u2019s attention. <\/strong><\/p>\n A person may say \u201coye\u201d to command whoever they are talking to to listen, or to be sure that they are listening in the first place.<\/p>\n Another explanation of \u201coyo\u201d is \u201chey you!\u201d The phrase simply means to pay attention or to give attention to the speaker.<\/p>\n Though not as common, in some contexts, the phrase can be used to agree with someone, the same as saying \u201cperiod\u201d or \u201cperiodt\u201d 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.<\/p>\n It may be used over text, but is typically used when talking to a person face-to-face.<\/p>\n \u201cOye, I just got my first job!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOye, I have something important to tell you\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn I\u2019m talking to you, oye, are you even listening?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOye! Come over here\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure that\u2019s what you want? Oye, I thought so\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cCome listen to this song. Oye!\u201d<\/p>\n The phrase \u201coye\u201d is a Spanish term that means \u201clisten\u201d. 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.<\/p>\n It has worked its way into English slang and even people that may not know many other terms in Spanish know what \u201coye\u201d 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 \u201cOye\u201d in 2009.<\/p>\n The term \u201coye\u201d is used when you want someone\u2019s 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 \u201coye\u201d.<\/p>\n An example of this would be, \u201coye! Go away\u201d. 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.<\/p>\n Are you trying to get your friends attention and don\u2019t 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\u2019re talking to is listening? Throwing in an \u201coye\u201d somewhere in that sentence will likely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5290"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5290"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5766,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5290\/revisions\/5766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Example Usage<\/h2>\n
Origin<\/h2>\n
Phrases Similar to Oye<\/h2>\n
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Phrases Opposite to Oye<\/h2>\n
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What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n
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Ways People May Incorrectly Say Oye<\/h2>\n
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Oye<\/h2>\n
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