What's the difference between oye and hola?

Oye literally means listen and is used to grab someone's attention (¡oye, ven aquí!, hey, come here). Hola is just hi as a greeting. They're not interchangeable: ¡Oye! when you walk into a friend's house feels weird; ¡Hola! is what fits.

Should I use oye or oiga?

Use oye with friends, family, and people you'd address with tú. Use oiga with strangers, older people, customers, and anyone you'd address with usted. Disculpe (excuse me) is even safer than oiga in formal or polite-stranger contexts.

How do I say hey casually in Spanish?

For a casual hey to a friend: ¡Hola! / ¡Ey! / ¡Qué onda! (Mexico) / ¡Qué tal! (Spain). To grab attention: ¡Oye!. The right pick depends on what country you're in and how well you know the person. Hearing native speakers in Parrot's videos makes the choice automatic.

Spanish vocabulary · Beginner

Hey in Spanish: Oye, Ey, Hola, and the Right Word for Each Situation

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Oye · interjection / casual greeting · OH-yeh

Hey in Spanish has two main translations depending on what hey means. To grab someone's attention (hey, listen!), use oye (informal) or oiga (formal). As a greeting (hey, how are you?), hola is universal. Regional alternatives: qué onda (Mexico), qué tal (Spain), ey (casual everywhere).

Oye is OH-yeh, two syllables. Ey is just eh-y, one quick syllable. Hola is OH-lah; the h is silent. Qué onda is keh OHN-dah. Qué tal is keh tahl.

¡Oye! ¿Cómo estás?

Hey! How are you?

Hey in Spanish: Quick Reference

Below are the most common Spanish words for hey, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.

Spanish	English	Pronunciation	Region / Register
oye	hey	OH-yeh	Default, widely understood
ey	hey		very casual, equivalent of English hey
hola	hey		hi (universal greeting)
qué onda	hey		Mexico: what's up / hey
qué tal	hey		Spain: hey, how's it going

How Native Speakers Use Oye

Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.

Getting attention (informal)

¡Oye, espera un momento!

Hey, wait a second!

Oye is the informal hey used to grab someone's attention. With usted (formal), it's oiga: ¡Oiga, perdone! (Excuse me, hey there!).

Greeting a friend

¡Hola! ¿Cómo va todo?

Hey! How's everything?

When hey is just a greeting (not attention-grabbing), hola is the universal default. Casual friends might also say ¡ey! or ¡qué onda!.

Mexican casual

¿Qué onda, amigo?

Hey, what's up, friend?

Qué onda is heavy in Mexican Spanish, ranging from hey to what's up. Use it with friends; it's casual and friendly.

Avoid These Mistakes When Using Oye

Using hey directly in Spanish

Incorrect: Hey, ¿cómo estás?

Correct: ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?

Spanish doesn't borrow hey directly. Use hola for greetings, oye to grab attention, or regional variants. Saying hey in Spanish marks you as an English speaker; the small switch to hola or oye blends in instantly.

Using oye with people you should address formally

Incorrect: ¡Oye, señor! (to a stranger or older person)

Correct: ¡Oiga, señor! / ¡Disculpe, señor!

Oye is the tú (informal) form. For people you'd address formally (older strangers, customers, professionals), use oiga (the usted form) or disculpe (excuse me). Disculpe is the safest polite attention-grabber.

Lock in Hey Vocabulary with the Parrot Method

Why word lists alone don't stick

Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.

See Oye used by native speakers

Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using oye in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear ¡Oye! ¿Cómo estás? while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.

Save, review, repeat, stay consistent

Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.

Common Questions About Hey in Spanish

How do you say hey in Spanish?: Hey in Spanish depends on context. To grab attention (hey, listen!), use oye (informal) or oiga (formal). As a greeting (hey, how are you?), hola is universal. Mexican Spanish adds qué onda. Spain uses qué tal. Casual ey works everywhere.
What's the difference between oye and hola?: Oye literally means listen and is used to grab someone's attention (¡oye, ven aquí!, hey, come here). Hola is just hi as a greeting. They're not interchangeable: ¡Oye! when you walk into a friend's house feels weird; ¡Hola! is what fits.
Should I use oye or oiga?: Use oye with friends, family, and people you'd address with tú. Use oiga with strangers, older people, customers, and anyone you'd address with usted. Disculpe (excuse me) is even safer than oiga in formal or polite-stranger contexts.
How do I say hey casually in Spanish?: For a casual hey to a friend: ¡Hola! / ¡Ey! / ¡Qué onda! (Mexico) / ¡Qué tal! (Spain). To grab attention: ¡Oye!. The right pick depends on what country you're in and how well you know the person. Hearing native speakers in Parrot's videos makes the choice automatic.