How to Say "ow" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “ow” is “ay” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
¡Ay! Me quemé con la sopa.
Ouch! I burned myself with the soup.
¡Ay, qué pena que no puedas venir!
Oh, what a shame you can't come!
¡Ay, qué bonito es este vestido!
Oh, how beautiful this dress is!
What's an Interjection?
Think of 'ay' as a short, standalone word that's all about emotion. You just say it! It doesn't need to connect to other words in a sentence. It works just like 'Ouch!', 'Wow!', or 'Oh!' in English.
The Classic Mix-up: Ay vs. Hay vs. Ahí
Mistake: “Cuando vi el precio, dije 'hay que caro'.”
Correction: Cuando vi el precio, dije '¡ay, qué caro!'. Remember this trick: ¡Ay! is for an emotion (like an 'eye' crying). Hay is for 'there is/are' (from the verb haber). Ahí is for a place, 'there' (it has an 'h' and an 'i' for 'hither').
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